Is there a formula for intonation in poetry? Phonetic analysis of intonational features in ten Italian poetry readings.

In the study of poetic speech, two intonation formulas have traditionally sought to formalize its phonetic features by combining segmental and suprasegmental aspects. While significant, these models remain rigid and overlook a crucial dimension: stylistic variability. The Voices of Italian Poets (VIP) project addresses this gap by developing new digital tools that capture prosodic variation more effectively. Using these tools, we analyzed ten contemporary Italian poems, both metrical and free verse, read by their authors (five male, five female, across generations). Our aim was to highlight how stylistic variability, especially in intonation, shapes the distinctiveness of poetic readings.