Linguistic Prosody and Melodic Characteristics of Korean Emotion Vocabulary: A Musical-Linguistic Analysis

This study explores the intersection between linguistic prosody and melodic characteristics in Korean emotion vocabulary, aiming to quantify emotional articulation in spoken language and inform melodic construction in songwriting and lyrical composition. Thirty Korean female participants (ages 19–23) were asked to speak emotion-related words representing three target emotions: happiness, anger, and sadness. Acoustic analyses were conducted to examine prosodic features, including fundamental frequency (Hz) and articulation time (ms), which were then translated into musical parameters such as pitch register, pitch range, melodic contour, and tempo. Statistical analyses identified significant differences in prosodic and melodic characteristics across emotional categories. Results showed that the mean pitch corresponded to B3 (253.7 Hz) for happy words, A3 (213.1 Hz) for angry words, and G3 (211.6 Hz) for sad words. Happy words featured high pitch registers, wide ranges, and descending contours; angry words had mid-range registers with rising-falling or descending contours; and sad words exhibited low registers, narrow ranges, and either descending or unisonous contours. In terms of tempo, angry words were articulated most quickly (172 ms), followed by happy (191 ms) and sad (210 ms). Significant differences were found in frequency between happy and angry words (18.5 Hz), and in articulation time between happy and sad (0.02 ms), and angry and sad (0.03 ms). These findings suggest that the prosodic expression of emotion can be meaningfully translated into melodic representation, with potential applications in music composition, song therapy, and affective computing. This framework establishes a foundation for future interdisciplinary exploration linking language, music, and emotion.