ENGLISH 8

INTONATION
The following are intonation phonemes of English: stress, juncture, and
pitch. These are the melodies of language.
Stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in
a word, or to certain words in a phrase or sentence. In English, stressed
syllables are louder than non- stressed syllables. Also, they are longer
and have a higher pitch.
In the following word, the stressed syllable is
underlined:
Subject: noun as in "The subject (noun)
of my talk is intonation.
Subject: verb as in "He will subject us to
another story."
Juncture refers to breaks or pauses in
speech that indicate words or other
grammatical units. Juncture is phonemic.
That is it changes the meaning.
There are several phrases in English that are
distinguishable in this way:
"that stuff" "that’s tough"; "an aim" "a
name".
In the first case, for example, the {s} of "stuff" is stronger,

and the {t} of tough is aspirated

Juncture, in linguistics, is the manner of moving
(transition) between two successive syllables in
speech. An important type of juncture is the
suprasegmental phonemic cue by means of which
a listener can distinguish between two otherwise
identical sequences of sounds that have different
meanings.

Juncture is a pause or a slight delay in continuous

flow of speech. Sound transitions characterize the
movement from sound to sound within a word or
a phrase.
 Three Symbols of
Juncture:
1. Single bar juncture
indicates the need for a
slight pause between two
thought groups in a
sentence.

We visited our students/

who are sick.
2. Double bar juncture
indicates the need for
a longer pause
between
two, thought groups in
a sentence.

After eating // The

dogs all appeared
satisfied.
3. Double cross juncture
characterizes a drop in
pitch.
The pausing time
responds to a
need for semicolon(;)
colon (: )or period(.)

To err is human; # to
forgive is divine.
Note : If the sentence consists only of
one group, juncture is no longer
needed.

A change of places of juncture in the

sentence logically change the
meaning of the
sentence.
Pitch is the rise and fall of voice when
we speak, sometimes called “highness”
or “lowness” We use pitch to give subtle
meaning to sentences.
The use of pitch is called intonation, but
the words “pitch” and “intonation” are
often interchangeably.
Volume is the loudness of the speaker. It is the psychological
characteristic of physical strength (amplitude). Loudness is then
a subjective measure of the listener, which is often confused
with objective measures of sound strength such as sound
pressure level (in decibels), sound intensity, or sound power.
Voice projection is an important speaking skill and the topic
comes up frequently in my work. Your ability to be heard in
meetings, in large rooms, or in noisy environments affects your
credibility, as well as clarity. Your professional image is enhanced
or diminished to the extent that you can fill a room and
communicate your message clearly and successfully.
A good rate of speech ranges between 140 -160 words per
minute (wpm). A rate higher than 160 words per minute can be
difficult for the listener to absorb the material.
There may be some areas of the country that speak at faster
rates but a slower rate is preferable.
Thank
you!!