Ex. 2 Compare the pitch contours of the Stepping and the High Heads. Note the monotony and extra prominence of the first one, and the light and airy attitude conveyed by the latter.

1 I 'shan’t 'stay a 'minute `longer. – I 'shan’t ˙stay a ˙minute `longer.

2 How 'long do you 'want me to `stay? – How 'long do you ˙want me to `stay?

3 He 'keeps 'telling the 'same `lies. – He 'keeps telling the ˙same `lies.

4 At 'nine 'thirty to'morrow `morning. – At 'nine thirty to˙morrow `morning.

5 I’m 'sure there’s 'nothing 'really `wrong with you. – I’m 'sure there’s ˙nothing really `wrong with you.

6 'Have a 'look at the `time-table. – 'Have a look at the `time-table.

7 'Drop me a 'line as 'soon as you ar`rive. – 'Drop me a line as ˙soon as you ar`rive.

8 Joe’ll 'never 'make it to the `Ivies. – Joe’ll 'never make it to the `Ivies.

 

Ex. 3 Read the utterances with the Broken Descending Head.

1 He 'threw a way 'half of his 'chance of `winning.  2 'John says he 'won the ↑'first `prize.  3 I 'think you are ıbeing 'very un`fair.  4 This 'new kind of 'medicine is ↑'simply `wonderful.  5 They 'stayed a way for a "very good `reason. 6 His 'average 'reading speed is ımore than '30 pages an `hour.  7 I’ve 'scarcely ıread 'anything for `months.  8 She 'says they 'saw a "jolly good `film yesterday. 9 This 'game is ıplayed in 'all the countries of the `world.  10 He’s been 'practising the ıpiano since his 'early `childhood.  11 I 'found these 'programmes ↑'seriously `overpriced.

 

 

7.5 The Ascending Stepping Head

 

Each of the stressed syllables of the Ascending Head takes a static tone pitched higher than the preceding one, so that the onset syllable occupies the lowest pitch in the head. Intervening unstressed syllables are said on the same pitch as the stressed syllable to which they are attached. The head can be marked in tow ways:

 

1) m m m `m

2) m m m `m

E.g.: She didn’t seem to ‵notice it.

 

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The Ascending Head is typically combined with the nuclear High Fall and High Rise tones. The degree of prominence of the nucleus is greater than in the Descending Head. Utterances said with the Ascending Head cause the listener to anticipate the main point of information at the end. Such heads gives some specific modal connotations to utterances. There is often a feeling of surprise, protest, or a note of impatience,

E.g.: A: Can you wait for another five minutes? – B: I’ve been waiting for ‘half an `hour already!

 

7.6 The Low Head

 

The Low Head is formed by the syllables which are pronounced in the low pitch zone of the speaker’s voice range. Relevant syllables are made prominent by saying them with greater loudness and greater duration in comparison with unstressed syllables. The stressed syllables are indicated with a low stress-mark.

E.g.: Two or three times a,week.

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The Low Head is used in combination with the Low Narrow Rise and the Low Narrow Fall. Such utterances produce an impression of smaller overall prominence and often convey a cool, detached, phlegmatic, disapproving attitude of the speaker.

The Sliding Head

The Sliding Head is formed by a sequence of slides, i.e. downward pitch changes, associated with each fully stressed syllable of the head (indicated by m). The stressed syllables in the Sliding Head may be said on the same pitch or form a gradual ascent or descent. The most common of all the Sliding Heads is the Gradually Descending Sliding Head. The descent in pitch has a jumpy character. This is due to the pitch contrast between the end of the preceding stress-group and the beginning of the following: the latter is higher in pitch as a result of a considerable downward pitch change inside the preceding stress-group realized either as a glide on the stressed syllable (when there aren’t any unstressed syllables following) or as a jump in pitch between the stressed syllable and the following unstressed ones,

e.g.:  We haven’t been hearing from Jake for ` ages.

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The Sliding Head is most frequently combined with the Fall-Rise. It is widely used in lively expressive conversations and in reading emotionally coloured texts.