What is a tonic

syllable?

The tonic syllable is that syllable in a given

intonation unit which is made most
prominent by a combination of features.
What is its function?
According to Halliday is “To form the focus of
information” That is to say, to express what
the speaker decides to make the main point
of the message”
EXAMPLES:

A. CAN YOU BREAK AN APPLE IN TWO?

(FOCUS OF INFORMATION IS ON BREAKING)

B. CAN YOU BREAK AN APPLE IN TWO?

(FOCUS OF INFORMATION IS ON THE SUBJECT)

How can we identify a tonic syllable?

There are seven significant features for the identification of the tonic
syllables:

1. Pith peak
2. Maximum pitch range
3. Kinetic tone
4. Loudness peak
5. decrescendo
6. pause
Features that constitute the
role played by the pitch :
3
1 2

pitch peak

PITCH PEAK MAXIMUM PITCH RANGE

KINETIC TONE
Features that constitute the
role played by loudness:
4 5

LOUDNESS PEAK DECRESCENDO

Features that constitute the
role played by timing:
6 7

TEMPO MARKING PAUSE

 Speakers tend to use only three or
four features to project the tonic
syllable:

The four are kinetic tone,

decrescendo, pitch peak and fourthly,
either loudness peak or pause.
 Unmarked and Marked Tonicity

● In marked tonicity the

context tells you where
the nucleus can be
found.

● If all information´s new,

use the last content
word to show unmarked
tonicity
INTONATIONAL PHRASE
IP

PRE TAIL
HEAD HEAD NUCLEUS
IT WAS EASIER THAN I EXPECTED
PREHEAD HEAD NUCLEUS TAIL
THE END
THANK YOU!