The tune drives the text - Schwa in consonant-final load words in Italian

In Italian, consonant-final loan words are reportedly produced with or without a final schwa. This paper reveals that variation in the presence of this schwa is dependent on a number of factors, including the metrical structure of the target word and the voicing of the consonant. Crucially, it is also conditioned by intonation: Schwa is more likely to occur – and is acoustically more prominent – when the intonational tune is complex or rising, as opposed to falling. Schwa epenthesis can thus be seen as facilitating the production of functionally relevant tunes.