TONICITY

THEORY: When do we say there’s “marked” tonicity?

“Marked” tonicity is when we don’t follow the LLI rule.

It can occur when we deaccent a final lexical item and we place the nucleus earlier instead, or when we accent a function word that we otherwise wouldn’t accent.

THEORY: What is the Last Lexical Item rule?

The LLI rule is a default tonicity rule which says that we place the nucleus on the very last lexical item of our IP, unless there is another reason not to do so (like emphasis or contrast).

THEORY: Following the idea of the LLI rule, which are the words that attract the nucleus and are usually accented? Which ones aren’t?

The words that attract the nucleus and we accent are content/lexical words. Those that are not usually accented are function words.

THEORY: Why is the LLI rule called Last Lexical “Item”?

Because this rule does not only apply to single content/lexical words, but rather lexical ITEMS such as a compound noun. Single-stressed compound nouns, for example, take the whole accent with them, the first noun being accented and the second one carrying it in the tail. It is considered a whole lexical item, therefore why it is accented.

CASES OF MARKED TI: Which kind of adverbials are usually unaccented and therefore don’t recieve the nucleus?

Adverbials of time & place and of degree, courtesy and proper functioning.

CASES OF MARKED TI: What are the existing cases of marked tonicity regarding vocatives?

• If they’re at the beginning and they get their own IP, unless they’re used in an exclamation, it’s a case of MARKED TI.

• If they’re left as part of the tail, it’s a case of MARKED TI.

CASES OF MARKED TI: Which case of marked tonicity is this?

A: [ Do you object to dogs? ] B: [ No, I a\dore dogs. ]

Old information, repetition.

CASES OF MARKED TI: In this IP with old information, which one is the hyponym and the hypernym?

[ Ma\laria | and \other tropical diseases. ]

Malaria = hyponym

Other tropical diseases = hypernim

CASES OF MARKED TI: Where would the nucleus here be and why?

[ Go and ask the guy. ]

[ Go and \ask the guy. ]

“The guy” is an empty word, which we don’t accent.

CASES OF MARKED TI: When there’s a reported sentence, what element is left unaccented?

The reporting clause = “he asked, she asked”

CASES OF MARKED TI: Why was “well” unaccented here?

[ You’ve ‘answered the questions very \well ! ]

It’s acting as an adverb of manner.

THEORY: Is the LLI rule followed here?

[ I love ‘Taylor \Swift ]

Yes, because it’s a double-stressed compoun noun.

CASES OF MARKED TI: Which cases in a noun+verb sentence do we accent the noun?

• Event sentences.

• Infinitives.

• Participles.

• Passive.

• Wh-questions with any of the previously mentioned.

CASES OF MARKED TI: Why could have been the reason for the pronouns to be accented here?

[ I don’t love \you | I love \him. ]

Contrast.

CASES OF MARKED TI: What is the rule of stress for phrasal verbs? How does that affect the nucleus placement?

The general rule is that phrasal verbs are double-stressed. Ex: ,stand ‘up

The nucleus is typically located in the particle, when they’re at the end. Ex: ‘How are you getting \on?

CASES OF MARKED TI: What is the general rule of stress for prepositional verbs? How does that affect nucleus placement?

Prepositional verbs are usually single-stressed. Ex: ‘look at

The preposition remains with its strong form, but it does not get accented. We place the nucleus on the verb, unless there’s contrastive focus involved or the preposition has more than one syllable (meaning its double-stressed).

CASES OF MARKED TI: Where would we place the nucleus here? Why?

[ That argument | is one I really can’t go along with ]

[ That argument | is one I ‘really can’t go a\long with ]

This is a case of a phrasal verb (typically accented on the particle) with an adverbial particle and a prepositional particle, where we still accent the adverbial particle because it’s still a content word.

CASES OF MARKED TI: In which case we don’t accent an adverbial particle?

When there’s a noun in the middle that separates the adverbial particle from the verb.

Ex: ‘Take your \shoes off.

CASES OF MARKED TI: Look at this nucleus placement. Why is this marked tonicity?

[ Which \book did you choose? ]

Because nouns attract the nucleus and the final verb is an infinitive, it is marked tonicity.

CASES OF MARKED TI: Where would we place the nucleus here?

[ He ought to keep his mouth shut. ]

[ He ‘ought to keep his \mouth shut. ]

This is a case of a noun attracting the nucleus when there’s a final adjective.

CASES OF MARKED TI: Indicate which list of adverbials can and cannot be accented when in final position.

A: a bit, though, then, even, or so, sort of, you know.

B: if necessary, of course, please, thanks, thank you, in a way, or thereabouts, for a change, for ..’s sake, in fact, as a matter of fact, I would/should have thought, I imagine enough.

A = are not accented (usually), they’re left in the tail.

THEORY: Is this statement true or false?

All content words have stress, but only one has the nuclear accent.

True — the main pitch movement (nucleus) has the nuclear accent.

THEORY: What is the difference between stress and accent?

Stress: relative emphasis or prominence given to a specific syllable. Lexical stress dictated by loudness, pitch and duration of words in isolation. It’s “the choices we have”.

Accent: the phonetic representation of prominence and it is about words in context/the combination of intonational prominence and rhytmic stress on a lexically stressed syllable. It’s “choosing the choices we have”.

THEORY: What is the purpose of the tonicity?

To show the nucleus placement, where our main focus lies.

What happens with currencies and words like “o’clock”?

They attract the nucleus still, even if they’re regarded as old information.