Basic intonation patterns of English

Basic intonation patterns of English

The basic patterns are classified according to the directional type of nuclear pitch change: the falling tone-pattern, the rising tone-pattern, the falling-rising tone-pattern and the rising-falling tone-pattern.

The rising tone-pattern

Contour 1. High/Stepping Head + High Narrow Rise

This contour has a strong interrogative force transforming any sentence-type into a question.

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: questioning or asking for repetition

In special questions: calling for a repetition of the particular part of the information

In general questions: echoing the listener's questions in order to gain time before answering

In imperatives and exclamations: querying all or part of the listener's utterance but with no critical intensions

Contour 2. High/Stepping Head + Mid Wide Rise

This contour is interrogative but the feeling of surprise is much weaker. It is used in straightforward i e. non-echo questions.

Contour 3. High/Stepping Head + Low Wide Rise

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: without a head – non-categoric

with a head - lively, friendly and warm

In special questions: without a head – puzzled

with a head – interested, warm, friendly

In general questions: without a head – casual

with a head – interested and warm

In imperatives and exclamations: soothing, calm

Contour 4. Low Head + Low Narrow Rise

An important of this contour is that both the prehead and the head must be low in pitch.

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: in monosyllabic utterances (e.g. yes, right, well) – encouraging further conversation. In loner utterance – casual perfunctory.

In special questions: wondering, mildly puzzled.

In general questions: casual, critical.

In imperatives and exclamations: casual, calm.

Pages 193-200

The falling tone-pattern

Falling contours all sound definite and complete, presenting information as “news”. Yet, each separate type of a Falling contour has a more or less clearly distinct range of meanings conveying the speaker's attitude to the situation, to the subject-matter and to the listener.

Contour 1. High/Stepping Head + Wide/Narrow and Usage

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: with no head – calm reserved: with head - categoric, weighty

In special questions: with no head – calm detached; with the nucleus on the interrogative word – insistent without interest

In general questions: with no head – skeptical, uninterested

In imperatives: calm and cold

Contour 2. High/Stepping Head + High/Mid Wide Fall

has largely the same meanings with or without a head.

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: with the High Head – light and lively, with the Stepping Head – enthusiastic

In special questions: with the High Head – business, lively

with the Stepping Head – considerate, concerned

In general questions: with no head - mild surprised

with the High Head – light, lively

with the Stepping Head – insistent, urgent

In imperatives: with the High Head – brisk, businesslike

Pages 204-210

The Falling –Rising Tone Pattern

Contour 1. Sliding/ Falling Head + Fall-Rise Undivided

The basic meaning of an utterance bearing a falling nuclear tone is implicatory and referring to the

preceding context.

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: contradicting,correcting, doubtful,apologetic,warning,reproachful.

In questions: astonished

In imperatives: a note of reproach or concern.

In exclamations: warm or protesting.

Contour 2.Stepping / High Head + Fall- Rise Divided

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: contrast,regret,apology,concern.

In questions: warmth,concern.

In imperatives: polite, cordial.

p. 215-220

The Rising- Falling Tone-Pattern

Stepping / High Head + Rise-Fall Contour

The rising-falling tone has a strong modal-attitudinal coloring.The exact connotation emerge from the

lexical content and context in which the utterance is used.

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: challenging, mocking,ironical.

In special questions: quizzical, impatient, antagonistic.

In general questions: impressed, quizzical, mocking,impatient,antagonistic.

In exclamations: impressed,sometimes with a hint of accusation or irony. p. 225-230

Section 8 Division of Utterances into Intonation-Groups.

An intonation-group corresponding to a grammatical sentence is marked by specific characteristic of tone, stress and duration, serving to express semantic completeness and independence-the relevant features of an utterance. An intonation- group of this kind is defined as a simple tune.

Most grammatical sentences are prosodically expressed by a combination of intonation-groups.

Utterances which are composed of more than one intonation- group form a combined tune.

Long sentences break up into smaller parts in spoken language.Their division is based both on

physiological convenience (an intonation- group is normally a breath-group)and on the complexity of

information being conveyed.Of the two factors semantic reasons are overriding in importance.

Through intonation division the speaker can make several items stand out as more or less independent

parcels of information in a short utterance, too, increasing the general prominence of the

utterance.

p.235-236

Basic Types of Tone-Sequences in English

When analysed for the nuclear tones in each of the component parts, combined tunes may be described

as sequences of tones.

The most general observation concerning this subject is that tone-sequences in English display relatively

free combinability of nuclear tones.

Low Rise –High/Mid Fall

If I remember correctly, she’s living somewhere in Kent.

To make matters worse the weather was terrible.

High / Mid Fall – High / Mid/ Low Fall

We know the environment is threatened but we overlook it.

There’s no great hurry so you can take your time over it.

Fall – Rise- High / Mid Fall

First and foremost we should concentrate on public transport.

Unfortunetely I won’t be able to attend the club meeting.

Fall-Rise D –Mid /Low Fall

He wasn’t an interviewer he was being interviewed.

High/ Mid Fall-Low Rise

We’ll be there at about six if the baby-sitter doesn’t let us down.

High / Mid Fall – Fall-Rise

You remembered that friend of his, the guy who came from Liverpool.

Fall – Rise-Fall-Rise

Recycling products are often cheaper than making new ones.

Fall-Rise- Low Rise

Tuesday is his day in London, as usual.

However free the uses of nuclear tones may seem, there are certain underlying tendencies in the choice

of tones.First of all, there is some evidence that the choice of a nuclear tone in an intonation group is to

a considerable degree determined by the immediately preceding nuclear tone.In other words,there is a high probability of tonal reduplication, which means that if there is a fall in the preceding group there is

a tendency to use the same or a similar kind of nuclear tone in the following one.

The purpose of such a repetition of tones in adjacent groups seems to consist in keeping the same attitude throughout an utterance as a means of linking its parts more closely together.The use of varying nuclear tones in adjacent groups, on the other hand, serves to indicate a change in the speaker's attitude.In longer

utterances the difference between the nuclear tones of the final and non-final groups is the result of their

specific roles in the organization of an utterance.The nuclear tone of the final group marks the communicative type of an utterance, while the choice of the nuclear tone in the non-final group is determined by the degree of its semantic independence and completeness.

p. 245-247

Section 9

Emphatic Tones

Emphatic tones are used in speech for two main purposes: 1) to increase the semantic prominence of separate words in an utterance or that of an entire utterance; 2) to attach an emotional colouring to an utterance

Structurally, emphatic tones are modifications, or variants of basic kinetic and static tones.Emphasis applied to a tone increases the force of articulation on the syllable carrying the tone and, consequently,

the effect of loudness.It also changes the pitch characteristics, moving the upper point of a kinetic tone upward and the lower point of it downward, thus widening the interval of the pitch-change. In the case of a static tone emphasis displaces the normal pitch-height of the tone upwards or downwads (extra-high and

extra-low pitch levels) as a result of which the voice-range of a an utterance is widened as compared with

the normal voice-range of neutral speech.

p. 283-285

Irregular Preheads

Among the various ways in which the whole intonation-group can be made livelier and more emotional is the so-called Irregular Prehead. This term is applied to any prehead which is displaced in pitch from the normal position in the lower half or near the middle of the voice –range.The displacement can be made both upward and downward- High Irregular and Low Irregular Preheads,respectively, the former being much more typical of English speech.

In the High Irregular Prehead all the syllables are said on a very high pitch,i.e. higher even than the onset syllable, which is normally the highest syllables in the intonation-group.In the text the High Prehead is indicated by a high pitch-mark (¯m)

In the Low Irregular Prehead all the syllables are said on a very low pitch, i.e. lower even than the syllables at the end of a falling tune. It is indicated by the pitch mark

The effect produced by the High Prehead is proportional to its pitch: the higher the pitch the greater the emotional colouring. It is increased when it is used before a Low Head or a low nuclear tone.

The Low Prehead is used before a high static tone and before kinetic tones which begin on a higher pitch.

In tunes with the nuclear Emphatic Mid /Low Fall the High Irregular Prehead is used to express disapproval, indignation, insistence.

In tunes with the emphatic Low Rise nuclear tone the High Irregular Prehead often adds a feeling of disagreement and impatience.

When followed by the emphatic High Rise the High Irregular Prehead gives a feeling of extreme surprise.

p. 298-300

Compound Tunes

Expressiveness of speech is often the result of using more than one kinetic tone in an intonation-group, since kinetic tones are by their nature more expressive and colourful than static.Intonation-groups having more than one kinetic tone are called compound tunes.

The expressive power of a compound tune is the greatest when all or most of the kinetic tones in it are made emphatic.

The most common types of compound tunes are: High Rise+ High Rise, Low Rise + Fall, Fall +Fall- Rise,Fall-Rise +Fall, Fall+Fall.

High Rise +High Rise typically occurs in general questions. It gives them a feeling of surprise or incredulity

Low Rise +Fall has a feeling of mystification,puzzlement to questions, persuasiveness to statements,wonderment to exclamations.

Fall +Fall-Rise serves to give special emphasis to some word earlier than the nucleus.

Fall + Fall imparts a feeling of: a) insistence to special and general questions; b) dogmatism to statements; c) energy to imperatives; d) extra emphasis to exclamations.

Fall-Rise + Fall serves to emphasize and to give a sense of contrast to some word coming earlier than the nucleus.

p.321-323

Section 10

Basic intonation patterns of English

The basic patterns are classified according to the directional type of nuclear pitch change: the falling tone-pattern, the rising tone-pattern, the falling-rising tone-pattern and the rising-falling tone-pattern.

The rising tone-pattern

Contour 1. High/Stepping Head + High Narrow Rise

This contour has a strong interrogative force transforming any sentence-type into a question.

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: questioning or asking for repetition

In special questions: calling for a repetition of the particular part of the information

In general questions: echoing the listener's questions in order to gain time before answering

In imperatives and exclamations: querying all or part of the listener's utterance but with no critical intensions

Contour 2. High/Stepping Head + Mid Wide Rise

This contour is interrogative but the feeling of surprise is much weaker. It is used in straightforward i e. non-echo questions.

Contour 3. High/Stepping Head + Low Wide Rise

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: without a head – non-categoric

with a head - lively, friendly and warm

In special questions: without a head – puzzled

with a head – interested, warm, friendly

In general questions: without a head – casual

with a head – interested and warm

In imperatives and exclamations: soothing, calm

Contour 4. Low Head + Low Narrow Rise

An important of this contour is that both the prehead and the head must be low in pitch.

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: in monosyllabic utterances (e.g. yes, right, well) – encouraging further conversation. In loner utterance – casual perfunctory.

In special questions: wondering, mildly puzzled.

In general questions: casual, critical.

In imperatives and exclamations: casual, calm.

Pages 193-200

The falling tone-pattern

Falling contours all sound definite and complete, presenting information as “news”. Yet, each separate type of a Falling contour has a more or less clearly distinct range of meanings conveying the speaker's attitude to the situation, to the subject-matter and to the listener.

Contour 1. High/Stepping Head + Wide/Narrow and Usage

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: with no head – calm reserved: with head - categoric, weighty

In special questions: with no head – calm detached; with the nucleus on the interrogative word – insistent without interest

In general questions: with no head – skeptical, uninterested

In imperatives: calm and cold

Contour 2. High/Stepping Head + High/Mid Wide Fall

has largely the same meanings with or without a head.

Modal Meaning and Usage

In statements: with the High Head – light and lively, with the Stepping Head – enthusiastic

In special questions: with the High Head – business, lively

with the Stepping Head – considerate, concerned

In general questions: with no head - mild surprised

with the High Head – light, lively

with the Stepping Head – insistent, urgent

In imperatives: with the High Head – brisk, businesslike

Pages 204-210

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