How Has Poets’ Reading Style Changed? A Phonetic Analysis of the Effects of Historical Phases and Gender on 20th Century Spanish Poetry Reading

Abstract

Poetry reading remains a largely underexplored area in phonetic research. While previous studies have highlighted its potential and challenges, experimental research in the Spanish context is still limited. This study aims to examine the evolution of Spanish poetry reading over time, focusing on its main prosodic features. Applying the VIP-VSP phonetic model to 40 poetry recordings, we analyzed the organizational and prosodic indices that characterize poetry reading. Mean speech rate, plenus (the ratio of speaking time to pausing), and pitch span emerged as key parameters for capturing change. The results identified two distinct historical phases—first and second radio-television—showing significant effects on speech rate, plenus, and pitch span: speech rate and pitch span increased over time, while plenus decreased. Gender also played a key role, with female voices exhibiting significantly higher values in both pitch span and plenus. Variability and recurring strategies were observed within and across authors. This study confirms that poetry reading has evolved along a ‘stylistic-chronological’ trajectory, while also reflecting gender-based distinctions. These findings underscore the need for interdisciplinary analytical approaches and diversified classification groupings to fully capture the complexity of this mode of speech.