Seminar 7: English Phonology - Intonation

These flashcards encompass key vocabulary and concepts related to English phonology and intonation, as covered in Seminar 7.

Suprasegmental phonology

(=prosody) – deals with all units higher than the segment: syllables, feet, prosodic words

Deals with all units higher than the segment: syllables, feet, prosodic words.

Intonation

Distinctive use of pitch patterns or melody in speech.

Intonation phrase (IP)

A group of words that belong together and whose connection is marked by phonological properties of speech

Intonational phrasing

Structuring discourse into units of information using pitch variations.

Speakers use intonational phrasing

to structure their discourse into units of information.

Minor intonation phrase boundary

Indicated by the symbol |, marks a smaller boundary in speech.

Major intonation phrase boundary

Indicated by the symbol ‖, marks a larger boundary in speech.

Intonation phrase boundaries mark …

• The beginning of a new topic

• Additional / non-defining information in an utterance

Intonation phrase boundaries separate from the rest of the utterance …

• Items in enumerations

• Utterance heavy subjects

• Tag questions

• Clause-modifying adverbials, e.g. unfortunately at beginning of utterance

• Vocatives

• Topicalised clauses, and

• Coordinated structures from each other

In spontaneous speech, IPs are on average five words long. They are longer in prepared and read speech.

Nucleus

= the word (its accented syllable to be precise) that receives the strongest accent in an intonation phrase ; Withing an intonational phrase

Nucleus placement in English can distinguish the meaning of an utterance. Some tendencies for nucleus placement. The nuclear accent goes to:

• The last content word of an intonation phrase

• The noun even if a verb follows (excluding some nouns that rarely get accented, e.g. things, people, places)

• The preposition of a phrasal verb, e.g. switch OFF

• Some selected function words, e.g. too, either, as well, anyway

• New information These predict nucleus placement in reading style better than in spontaneous speech.

Nuclei

are usually associated with a characteristic pitch movement.

To be of phonemic use (i.e. to be distinctive), tones have to be:

• Controlled by the speaker

• Perceptible

• Associated with a meaning

British School intonation analysis – six basic nuclear tones: Nuclear tone Symbol (preceding nuclear tone)

Fall \

Rise /

Fall-rise \/

Rise-fall /\

Rise-fall-rise /\/

Level pitch -

Nucleus placement

The placement of the strongest accent, which can change the meaning of an utterance.

English tones

Pitch movements associated with nuclei in speech that convey different meanings.

Head

any pitch accents preceding the nucleus Pitch movements here can be falling \, rising / and levelˈ

Sentence: “The tall man quickly ate a delicious sandwich in the park.”

• Pre-head: The

• Head: man

• Nucleus: ate

• Tail: quickly a delicious sandwich in the park

Pre-head

Unstressed syllables preceding the head in an intonation phrase.

Sentence: “The tall man quickly ate a delicious sandwich in the park.”

• Pre-head: The

• Head: man

• Nucleus: ate

• Tail: quickly a delicious sandwich in the park

Tail

any further syllables following the nucleus (nuclear accent then stretches over the following syllables until the end of the utterance)

Functions of English tones

are usually of an attitudinal, pragmatic and discoursal nature.

Falling tone

Finality, completeness, definiteness Statements, commands, wh-questions

Rising tone

Non-finality, speaker seeking / anticipating information Yes/no questions

Fall-rise tone

Imply something is thought to be unpleasant or unwelcome Warnings, bad news, threats or disagreements, doubt, reservation, tentativeness

Rise-fall tone

Completeness and finality when used with declarative utterances, Surprise, strong feelings of (dis)approval, arrogance, confidence, challenge, etc.

Rise-fall-rise

Surprise