Unit 1. Rising and Falling Tones in English 
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Unit 1. Rising and Falling Tones in English



A. RISING TONES

The rising type of pitch-change in English has two structural varieties: a) the rise of the voice takes place on the stressed syllable; b) the rise is carried by the unstressed syllables following the stressed one while the latter is pronounced on a steady pitch. The two varieties are mutually exclusive: the first one occurs when the nuclear syllable is the last syllable of an intonation-group, i.e. when there is no tail; and the second is found in intonation-groups having a tail.

a) /No. b) I sup/pose so.

There are 3 main variants of a nuclear rise in English:

1. The High Rise (/ m)

2. The Mid Rise (/m)

3. The Low Rise (/m)

The difference in form as well as in meaning and usage is most obvious between the High and the Low Rise. The former has a marked interrogative force bordering on surprise, incredulity, etc., and is typically heard in all kinds of interrogative repetitions, while the latter is most readily associated with non-assertiveness and lack of interest. It is used in various casual remarks, afterthoughts, etc.

a) - Will you pass me the newspaper?

- / Pardon?

- Pass me the newspaper, please.

b) - Have you seen much of him lately?

-/No.

The meaning and usage of the two rising tones - mid and low- can be specified in terms of incompleteness in the most general sense of the word. The Low Rise is commonly pronounced in unfinished parts of sentences indicating that a continuation is going to follow. When it is used in independent utterances there is an effect of the speaker's interest in the situation and in the listener's response.

a) 'After they 'passed the /roundabout, | she re'versed into a /drive | on the \left.

b) I ar'ranged to 'meet my \daughter here. I 'hope you . don't /mind.

The Mid Rise is a typical nuclear tone of general, alternative (the first part) and disjunctive (the second part) questions.

a) - 'Do you 'speak /French?

b)- We can 'call . in at \Peter's, /can't we?

c)- 'Can you 'let me . know /soon | or shall I have to 'wait till 'next \week?

B. FALLING TONES

The falling type of nuclear pitch-change in English is realized by a downward move­ment of the voice on the stressed syllable, while the syllables of the tail (if there are any) form a level series on the pitch to which the nucleus has fallen, or they may continue the fall slightly to a still lower pitch.

a) \No. A b) \Certainly.

According to its position on the speaker's voice-range the are 3 main variantsof the Falling Tone:

1. The High Fall (\ m)

2. The Mid Fall (\m)

3. The Low Fall (\ m)

A falling pitch-change is usually associated with finality and completeness, decisive­ness, assertiveness, etc. Each of the falling tones, naturally, has some peculiarity as far as its meaning and usage are concerned. The High Fall has the least degree of finality of all the falling tones. It sounds light and airy. It is typically used in direct address (the so-called calling tone) and short comments expressing agreement, etc.:

* Come \ on, |Terry! We're \ waiting.

The High Fall, alongside completeness, finality, etc., often expresses emotions of a different kind, such as insistence, protest, personal concern, and involvement.

* - What do you think of his behavior?

- It's, |irres\ ponsible.

The general meaning of a falling pitch-change can in full degree be applied to the Mid Fal l which is the most neutral (unmarked) variety. The term neutral here

means, firstly, that this tone is commonly used in the so-called unemotional speech t and, secondly, that its usage is least of all limited to a specific situation:

* - I'm 'looking for the 'Technical \College.

- It's a 'red and \yellow, |building | on your \left.

The Low Fall is the opposite of the High Fall in that it completely lacks personal interest or enthusiasm and often sounds phlegmatic, calm and rather dogmatic As compared with the High Fall the Low Fall is much more independent: no continuation is signaled and the utterance sounds cool and reserved rather than light and airy:

1. - When does the pub open?

- At \seven.

2. - Look! It's raining again.
- I \thought it would.

 



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