LESSON 10: INTONATION

Glossary

adverbial thuộc phó từ

alternative lựa chọn (một trong hai)
assumption giả định
attitude thái độ
category hạng/ loại/phạm trù
certainty sự chắc chắn
combination sự kết hợp
command mệnh lệnh
comment lời nhận xét/ nhận xét(v)
construction cấu trúc
conversational thuộc đàm thoại
declarative tường thuật (câu)
determine xác định
directive chỉ thị/ lời hướng dẫn
disbelief sự không tin
discourse giao tiếp (bằng lời nói)
echo tiếng dội/ tiếng vang
eliciting gợi ra/ suy luận
emotion mối xúc cảm
enthusiasm sự nhiệt tình
epithet tính ngữ
evidence bằng chứng
exaggerate phóng đại
expletive từ chêm
expression diễn đạt
expressive meaning ý nghĩa biểu cảm
flatter tâng bốc
function chức năng
genuinely thực
highlighted được nêu bật
identical giống nhau
imply ngụ ý
interrogative nghi vấn/ thuộc câu hỏi
intonation ngữ điệu
intonation contour âm điệu
melodic thuộc giai điệu
mood tâm trạng
opinion ý kiến
option sự chọn lựa
parenthetical nằm trong ngoặc đơn
pattern mẫu
perfunctory hời hợt
phenomena những hiện tượng
possibility khả năng
prior trước
prominence sự nổi bật
reject bác bỏ/ loại bỏ
repetition sự lặp lại
represent đại diện
sarcasm lời mỉa mai, châm chọc
signify biểu thị
strategy chiến lược
summarize tóm tắt
suspense sự trì hoản
symbiotic cộng sinh
syntax cú pháp
terminal chót, tận cùng
terminate kết thúc
unique độc đáo
 utterance lời nói/phát ngôn

Definition

In phonetics, intonation is the melodic pattern of an utterance. Intonation

is primarily a matter of variation in the pitch level of the voice, but in such
languages as English, stress and rhythm are also involved. Intonation conveys
differences of expressive meaning (e.g., surprise, anger, wariness)1.

Pitch

To understand intonation, it is first necessary to define pitch, the relative

highness or lowness of the voice. It is important to note that the phonetic notion
of pitch is relative, referring to the differentiated pitch levels of a given speaker -
not to the lower versus higher pitches of men’s and women’s voices or the
differing pitch variations of different speakers.
In fact, pitch in its phonetic meaning corresponds quite closely to the definition
of pitch in music. For example, ascending do, re, and mi represent progressively
higher tones, or musical pitch. We distinguish four levels of phonetic pitch in
English:
4 = extra high
3 = high
2 = middle
1 = low
Normal conversation moves between middle and high pitch, with low
pitch typically signaling the end of an utterance. The extra high level is
generally used to express a strong emotion such as surprise, great enthusiasm, or
disbelief, and is the pitch level often used in contrastive or emphatic stress.
English makes use of pitch variation over the length of an entire utterance rather
than within one word.
If pitch represents the individual tones of speech, then intonation can be
thought of as the entire melodic line. Intonation involves the rising and falling of
the voice to various pitch levels during the articulation of an utterance. It
performs several unique functions. First, intonation reflects the grammatical
function of an utterance. For example:

She’s gone.

She’s gone?

1
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9042640/intonation
 If the utterance is pronounced with a rising - falling intonation, then it
signals speaker certainty, which often corresponds to a declarative statement.
However, pronounced with rising intonation, the same sequence of phonemes
signals uncertainty and corresponds to a special type of yes/no question with
statement word order but rising intonation.
Intonation also performs the function of conveying an attitude or emotion.
For example, the simple utterance “Great” can be used to express three different
shades of meaning:

1. Great (perfunctory )

2. Great (enthusiasm)

3. G r e a t. (sarcasm)

Clearly, the attitude of the speaker will vary in these three instances, with
intonation conveying a great deal of the difference. Thus in statement 1, the
overall effect of the slightly falling intonation is that the speaker's comment is
neutral or perfunctory, whereas in statement 2, the broader movement from high
to low signifies that the speaker is genuinely enthusiastic. In contrast, the flatter
intonation of the last statement signifies lack of enthusiasm or sarcasm on the
part of the speaker.
The movement of pitch within an intonation unit is referred to as the
intonation contour of that unit. Such contours span the range of extra high pitch
to low pitch. These levels are highly dependent on discourse meaning and
prominence, with rises in intonation co-occurring with the highlighted or more
important words that receive prominence within the sentence. Thus pitch and
prominence can be said to have a symbiotic relationship with each other in
English, and the interrelationship of these phenomena determines the intonation
contour of a given utterance. The next three sections summarize the most
common intonation contours in English.

Most common intonation contours

Rising - falling intonation

One of the most common patterns is the rising-falling contour. In this

pattern, the intonation typically begins at a neutral middle level (2) and then
rises to a high level (3) on the main stressed element of the utterance. The
intonation then falls to either the low level (1) - a terminal fall, signaling
certainty and generally corresponding to the end of the utterance - or to the
middle level (2) - a non-terminal fall, signaling a weaker degree of certainty and
usually corresponding to an unfinished statement, an incomplete thought, or a
mood of suspense.
If the prominent syllable is the last syllable in the thought group, the fall is a
glide:

Computers are fun.

(glide)
If, on the other hand, the stressed syllable is part of a multisyllabic word
with other unstressed syllables after it, then the fall occurs on the unstressed
element immediately following the main stressed syllable and is called a step:

Computers can also be frustrating.

(step)
Rising-falling intonation patterns of the 2-3-1 "certainly” type (i.e., the
utterance begins at level 2, rises to level 3, and then falls to level 1) typically
signal the following types of utterances: declarative statements, wh- questions
(questions with the interrogative pronouns where, when, what, who, why, how
much), and commands or directives

DECLARATIVE STATEMENTS
2 -3 -1
3
2. John’s SICK (glide)
1.
3.
2.He’s taken an ASpirin. (step)
1.

WH-QUESTIONS
2-3-1
3.
2. Who will HELP? (glide)
1.
 3.
2. What about JONathan? (step)
1.

COMMANDS AND COMMAND-FORM

REQUESTS
2 -3 -1
3.
2. Fix me some SOUP. (glide)
1.
3.
2. Please add NOODles (step)
1.

Two further types of utterances can use rising-falling intonation contours.

However, in these cases the pitch levels also vary from the 2- 3-1 pattern.
The first of these utterances uses a 2- 3- 2 non-terminal fall with a slight rise at
the end, indicating that the utterance is an unfinished statement in which the
speaker has left something unsaid it implied:

UNFINISHED STATEMENTS
2 -3 -2
3.
2. John’s SICK...
1.
(but I think he’s going to work anyway)
3.
2. He’s taken ASpirin...
1.
(but I don’t know if it helped or not )
3.
2. She said she was aLONE...
1.
(but I’m not sure I believe her )

In some unfinished statements, the speaker uses the 2- 3- 2 pattern with a slight
rise at the end to create suspense:
 INFINISHED STATEMENTS CREATING
SUSPENSE
2-3-2
3.
2. I opened the old SUITcase...
1.
( and found a million dollars! )
3.
2. I told her the NEWS...
1.
(and she fainted!)

The other utterance using a rising-falling intonation occurs after a 2-3-1 contour
and employs a 3- 1 contour. This contour occurs in tag question eliciting
agreement, in which the speaker is requesting confirmation from the
interlocutor. Functioning almost kike a statement, the typically signal certainty:

TAG QUESTION ELICITING AGREEMENT

2-3-1 3-1
3.
2 .We really ought to VIsit him, SHOULDn’t we?
1.

2.2 Rising intonation

Another common intonation pattern in English is the rise. Rise in intonation

usually begins at the syllable with discourse prominence and continues slightly
until the and of the phrase:

Are you feeling better?

Has he finished it yet?

There are two different rise contours: one that moves from middle to high level
(2-3 or 2-4), depending on the amount of emotion being expressed, and another
that rises from low to midlevel (1-2). The middle - to - high rise (2-3 or 2-4)
signals uncertainty. The following utterance types tend to follow this pattern:
yes/no questions using question word order, open choice alternative questions,
yes/no questions using statement word order, unfinished statements creating
suspense, echo question, repetition questions, and tag questions signaling
uncertainty.
In the first of these, yes/ no questions, the speaker asks a question, phrased in
question word order, to which the expected answer is yes or no.

YES NO QUESTION WITH QUESTION WORD

ORDER
2-3
3.
2. Have you GOT a minute?
1.
3.
2. Can I ask you a QUEStion?
1.

In the next pattern, open-choice alternative questions, the listener has a free
choice of a alternatives being offered. It is unclear whether other options are
available, but the listener is given the chance to reject all of the alternatives.

OPEN -CHOICE ALTERNATIVE QUESTIONS

2-3
3.
2.Would you like coffee or TEA?
1.

The next category involves utterances that look like statements in terms of their
syntax but function as questions. Such statements are unlike normal yes/no
questions in that speaker already has some evidence to confirm the statement.
Both 2-3 and 2-4 rise patterns are possible - the latter if surprise or disbelief is
being expressed:
 YES/NO QUESTION WITH STATEMENT WORD ORDER
2-3; 2-4
4.
3.
2. The plane LEFT already?
1.
(2-3 = neutral confirmation question)
(2-4 = great surprise or disbelief:I was supposed to be on it)
4.
3.
2. It left from Gate 47?
1.
(2-3 = neutral question)
(2-4 = great surprise or disbelief: They told me Gate 23!)

Occasionally, as a conversational strategy, a speaker will repeat a question

before answering it. In these types of questions, commonly known as echo
questions, there is a 2-3 rise pattern. For example, in answer to Speaker A
question “What are you doing this weekend?” Speaker B might begin with the
following echo question:

ECHO QUESTION
2-3
3.
2. What am I DOing? I’m going SKIing.
1.

Repetition questions ask for repetition usually because the speaker could not
hear what was said or the speakers could not believe what was said. These types
of questions can follow statements, yes/no questions, or wh-questions.
In the case of a 2 -3 pitch contour, the question means "Could you repeat what
you said? I didn’t hear you.” Suppose that Speaker A asks, “What are you doing
this weekend?” to which Speaker B replies, "I'm going skiing” If Speaker A has
not understood, a repetition question is asked:

REPETITION QUESTIONS
2-3
3.
2. WHAT are you doing?
1.
(I’m didn’t hear you. Can you repeat?)

With a more exaggerated pitch rise, on the other hand, the question means “I
can’t believe what I just hear. Tell me a gain.” Assuming for example, that
Speaker B’s answer to question “What are you doing this weekend?” is “I’m
doing skydiving ,” Speaker A might signal disbelief through a rise to level 4:

REPETITION QUESTIONS
2-4;3-4
4.
3.
2. WHAT are you doing? or You’re doing WHAT ?
1.
(I can’t believe you are going to do that! Are you out of
your mind )

Unlike the category of tag questions eliciting agreement, tag questions signaling
uncertainty are more like true yes/no questions. The speaker may have some
prior assumption but allows for the possibility of either a ”yes” or “no”
response:

TAG QUESTIONS SIGNALING UNCERTAINTY

(2-3-2)
3.
2. He usually arrives around NOON, DOESn’t he?
1.
(I think he arrives around noon, but I’m not sure)
2.3 Other paterns

As noted previously, there are two basic options for sentence - final intonation
in English - rising-falling and rising patterns. However, internal to a given
sentence, there may also be a series of rises or falls that occur as a result of the
syntax.
In the first combination, elements occur in a series, with each item in the series
receiving rising intonation (usually 2-3) until the final item, which receives
rising - falling intonation (2-3- 1).

SERIES INTONATION
(2-3) 2-3 2-3-1
3
2 Bob’s car needs a new TAILpipe,
1
3
2 new SHOCKS, and a new BATtery
1

The identical pattern is found in closed-choice alternative questions. Again, each

alternative receives rising intonation until the final one - signaling that no other
options are available and the speaker is expected to select from the closed set of
choices presented.

CLOSED-CHOICE
ALTERNATIVEQUESTIONS
(2-3) 2-3 2-3-1
3
2 Will you be paying by CASH, CREDit card,
1
3
2 or CHECK?
1
This pattern of closed-choice alternative questions contrasts both in intonation
contour and meaning with the open choice alternative questions described
earlier. Compare:

Are you going to pay with Master Card or Visa?

(Open choice: Are you going to pay with a credit card?)

Are you going to pay with Master Card or Visa?

(Closed choice: Which credit card are you going to pay with: Master Card or
Visa)

In appositive constructions, defined as a phrase or clause that follows and

modifies a noun giving added information, the 1- 2 -1 contour signals that the
clarifying appositive information is uttered as an aside.

APPOSITIVE CONSTRUCTIONS
1-2-1
3
2 Mr JONES, our new biOLogy instructor,
1
3
2 comes from NewYORK
1
3
2 MiTOsis , a term for CELL division, is a
1
3
2 complicated PROCess.
1

A related construction is the parenthetical expression. Similar to appositives,

these expressions are often uttered as asides, signaled through the intonation
contour used by the speaker. Parentheticals include utterances such as direct
address (John, Dr. Martin), polite expressions (please, thank you), adverbials
(unfortunately, one in a while), expressions of opinion (I’m afraid, you know),
and epithets or expletives (that jerk, damn). These parenthetical elements, when
they appear sentence initially, can be signaled either through a rising falling
pattern :

PARENTHETICALS- PHRASE INITIAL

2 - 3 (2)
3
2 JONathan, could I ask you a QUEStion?
1
3
2 You KNOW, you really ought to reLAX more
1
3
2 That idiot, he took the CAR keys!
1

A second pattern used with middle-sentence and sentence-final parenthetical

moves from low to middle level (1-2), with the rise in intonation coinciding with
the main stressed syllable of the parenthetical:

PARENTHETICALSI MID- SENTENCE AND

SENTENCE FINAL
1-2
3
2 The reason my HOMEwork is late,
1
3
2 Professor SMITH, is that I was SICK.
1
3
2 It’s going to RAIN, I’m Afraid.
1
3
2 Just drop me off at the CORner, PLEASE.
 1

In compound or complex sentences, each clause has its own intonation pattern,
which more or less corresponds to the rules given previously. In other words,
each clause may terminate in rising intonation or rising-falling intonation,
depending on its particular syntax. However, in the case of falling intonation
patterns with non-final clauses, the fall usually terminates at level 2.
As we mentioned previously, certain basic principles governing English
prominence exist: however, the speaker’s intentions may override typical
patterns in order to assign special prominence to a different element in the
utterance. This is also true for intonation. In fact, as we have seen, intonation
contours are directly connected to the prominent syllable. Therefore it is logical
that if the prominent element shifts according to discourse context, then the
intonation pattern will also change.

COMPOUND/COMPLEX SENTENCES
3
2 When Bob went to pick up the CAR,
1
3
2 the TAILpipe fell off.
1
3
2 He punched the mechanic in the NOSE,
1
3
2 and now he’s being SUED.
1
3
2 When Bob punched the mechanic in the NOSE,
1
3
2 did the mechanic hit him BACK?
1