Research Information System
International Journal of Bilingualism, 2026 (AHCI, SSCI, Scopus)
Aims and objectives: This study investigates whether pitch level and pitch range vary across different speech modes in Turkish L2 users of English. Specifically, it examines how monolingual and mixed language speech modes influence pitch characteristics, addressing cross-linguistic effects of relative L1/L2 activation in bilingual speech production. Methodology: The study adopts a quantitative, within-subject pre-experimental design. Participants produced speech in four controlled reading conditions representing different speech modes: fully in English (L2-only), mostly in English with some Turkish (L2–L1 mix), mostly in Turkish with some English (L1–L2 mix), and fully in Turkish (L1-only). Data and analysis: Data were collected from 76 Turkish university students. Participants read four scripted texts, and their speech was analysed acoustically using Praat to extract fundamental frequency (F0) measures. Pitch level and pitch range were calculated for each speech mode. Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were conducted separately for female and male speakers, followed by post hoc tests and paired samples t-tests. Findings: Results show that the mean pitch level remains stable across all speech modes for both female and male participants. In contrast, pitch range varies significantly depending on speech mode, with wider pitch ranges observed in L1-dominant contexts and narrower ranges in L2-dominant speech. These findings indicate that pitch range is especially sensitive to cross-linguistic speech mode variation. Originality: This study provides a systematic investigation of pitch range and level across monolingual and mixed language speech modes in Turkish-English sequential bilinguals, extending research on bilingual prosody to an under-explored language pairing. Implications: The findings highlight the role of relative L1/L2 activation in shaping suprasegmental features and suggest that pitch range represents a language-sensitive dimension of L2 speech that may require more explicit engagement. Limitations: The study relies on scripted reading tasks and a single participant group, limiting generalisability to spontaneous speech and other bilingual populations.