The diploma thesis researches the effects of pitch and voice quality of political functionaries on voting behaviour. After presenting the influences of linguistic choices and prosodic parameters on the evaluation of the political speaker, the theoretical part highlights the scientific grounds of the pre-existing researches on this topic. Furthermore, the empirical part focuses on the hypotheses based on the studies on pitch and voice quality, which are tested in two separate studies – in artificial and natural surroundings. The results of the first study support the pre-existent data, which show higher popularity of speakers with a lower fundamental frequency. The results also show that formant frequencies have a significant impact on people’s opinion about political candidates. The study supports the importance of pitch and voice quality when evaluating the voice of a politician and the subjectivity when choosing a Slovenian politician with the best voice quality. The second study reveals a trend of higher frequency of speakers with lower-pitched voices among Slovenia’s most successful politicians, especially among female politicians and those officials who are chosen in a more direct manner. Thus, the findings of the first study are also supported in the Slovenian political arena.
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