Ex. 1 Read out the mini-dialogues conveying the suggested attitudes (use any kind of tones you learnt).

1 A: He’s the best student in the group. – Fancy! (impressed) 2 What shall we order for lunch? – B: I leave the choice to you, Alan. (calm, reserved) 3 He’s bought his third car. – Has he! (impressed) 4 What do you think of my roses? – B: They are delightful! (favourably impressed) 5 A: I’ll make it soon, I promise. – Yes, but how soon? (hostile) 6 A: I find the report encouraging. – B: Extremely encouraging. (impressed) 7 A: You promised it for Thursday. – B: Tuesday. (correction) 8 A: No sign of Joyce yet. - B: She always keeps us waiting. (reproachful, referring tone) 9 A: I should keep quiet about it. – B: Would you? (mocking) 10 A: I know it for a fact. – B: How do you know? (ironical) 11 A: It’s an inch too big. – B: What difference does it make? (disinterested, reserved) 12 A: She was treated by an osteopath. – B: By who did you say? (asking for repetition) 13 A: Was it a good show? – B: The best they’ve ever done! (strong, involved, lively) 14 A: Could I help? – B: You fight your own battles. (challenging, mocking) 15 A: So she didn’t know James? – B: She might have met him somewhere. (doubt, hesitation) 16 A: I’m thinking of having central heating. – B: It’s terribly expensive to install. (warning) 17 A: Can I have that jar? – B: What do you want it far? (serious) 18 A: Tom’s good at French. – B: He studies German as far as I know. (correction) 19 A: Are you sure you are right? – B: You’ll see that I am right. (complacent) 20 A: We’ve just arrived. – B: Did you have a good flight? (check that it is as is assumed) 

 

Ex. 2 Practise reading the dialogue.

Mrs Newell has gone to see the doctor and is discussing her problem with him.

D:     Where is the pain, Mrs Newell?

Mrs N: Here, Doctor, in my chest.

D:     I see. Here?

Mrs N: Yes, Doctor.

D:     Does it hurt when you cough?

MRs N: Yes, it does.

D:     How long have you had it?

Mrs N: Six or seven weeks.

D:    Six or seven weeks? As long as that?

Mrs N: I think so.

D:     Have you tried taking anything - for the cough, I mean? 

Mrs N: Well – the usual honey and hot lemon. And then I bought some cough syrup.

D:     Did it help?

Mrs N: No, Doctor. That’s why I‘ve come to see you. 

Unit 9 Expressive means of English intonation

Expressiveness of English speech is achieved through a wide use of:

1)  emphatic variants of kinetic and static tones;

2)  intonation patterns with an inherent emotional colouring, such as the ascending, scandent and sliding heads or the rising-falling tone;

3) irregular preheads;

4) stress reduction and nuclear tone-shift.

Emphatic tones

 

Emphatic tones increase the semantic prominence of separate words of an utterance or its overall prominence by attaching emotional colouring to the utterance. Emphasis applied to a tone increases the force of articulation and, consequently, loudness. Very often pitch characteristics are changed: high or low static emphatic tones are pronounced on extra-high and extra-low pitch levels respectively. The upper point of a kinetic tone can be moved to an extra-high pitch level and the lower point can reach extra-low pitch level. Thus emphatic voice range is wider than the normal one.

Normal voice range                              Emphatic voice range

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The semantic role of an emphatic static tone is closely connected with the meaning of a nuclear tone. For example, emphasis on the onset syllable of a falling tune increases the energetic character of the statement, imperative, or exclamation. There is no limit to the number of emphatic static tones that may be used in an utterance, but it is not common of many successive words to take emphatic stresses. Such patterns usually have an emphatic kinetic tone in the nucleus and are uttered under conditions of considerable excitement. An emphatic tone is marked by doubling the tonetic stress mark. E. g.:

You Know e xactly what I’m talking about!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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Emphatic nuclear tones

 

The emphatic high rising tone is used in questions to express a great surprise or a shocked reaction, e.g.: A: Tom’s leaving tonight. – B: ′′Is he? ′′Really?

The emphatic low rising tone often expresses a feeling of impatience, e.g.: A: I’m all a,,gainst it. – B: Don’t be ri,,diculous!

The emphatic falling tones are:

- energetic and decisive in statements, e.g.: He ‘can’t brazen it `out! 

- insistent and persuasive in Wh-questions and orders, e.g.: ‘What’s the `reason? ‘Go and `do it!

- strong and enthusiastic in exclamations, e.g.: You ‘don’t ``say!

A combination of emphatic static and kinetic tones increases the overall prominence of the utterance. In such a case emphatic stresses are frequently given not only to notional, but also to functional words, e.g.: A: ‘’Didn’t you ‘find my camera? – B: It ‘’wasn’t in ‘’my car!

 

Speech Exercises