Presentation IV

Phonetics – Intonation
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 Say: 'It's raining'.

 Now say it again using the same words, but giving it
different meaning. You could say it to mean 'What a
surprise!', or 'How annoying!',or 'That's great!'. There
are many possibilities.
 These patterns of pitch variation are essential to a
phrase's meaning. Changing the intonation can
completely change the meaning. 
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Prosody
– Rhythm
– used in poetry
– most widely used rhythm in English poetry – iambic pentameter
- other choices: anapestic tetrameter
Ex. Dr. Seuss “The Cat in the Hat”
– particular use of SILENCE (in the form of pause)
– Tone of voice
– Intonation
Prosodic features
 pitch – pitch levels ~ tones
 loudness used to define the difference between weak and strong
 speed (tempo) used to express various states (great speed –
excitement, slow speed – thoughtfulness, emphasis)
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 William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, act II scene II

 Ex. JULIET 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man.
Dr. Seuss: The Cat in the Hat
The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house
All that cold, cold, wet day.
…
And then
Something went BUMP!
How that bump made us jump!
“I know it is wet
And the sun is not sunny.
But we can have
Lost of good fun that is funny.
…
Then Sally and I
Did not know what to say.
Our mother was out of the house
For the day.
Dr. Seuss: The Sneetches
But because they had stars, all the Star belly Sneetches
Would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.”
With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and would snort
“We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain Belly sort!”
And whenever they met some, when they were out walking,
They’s saunter straight past them without even talking.
…
“My friends,” he announced in a voice clear and keen,
“My name is Sylvester McMonkey McBean.
And I’ve heard of your troubles. I’ve heard you’re unhappy.
But I can fix that. I’m the Fix-it-up chappie.
I’ve come here to help you. I have what you need
And my prices are low. And I work at great speed.
And my work is one hundred percent guaranteed!”
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 Functions of intonation
– grammatical
– semantic
– informational
– textual
– emotional
– psychological
– indexical

(ap. D. Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English

Language, 1995, 249)
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 Pitch words - most relevant in a sentence

-allow the listener to interpret
the meaning behind the
statement.
 five different general categories of pitch
words in native speaker talk:
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 high pitch words = new information

 extra-high pitch words = emphasis to help
listener understand something
 rising pitch words = correcting previously
incorrect information
 scoop pitch words = expressing uncertainty
 low pitch words = emphasizing information
that is not new
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 A tune = a complete pitch treatment of a

word group.
 Elements:
– nucleus
– pre-head + head = follow the nucleus
– tail
 Nucleus – characterized by rises and falls in
the pitch of the voice = nuclear tones
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NUCLEAR TONES
 High Fall \ No High pitch on nucleus falling to low. All tail syllables low &
level
 Low Fall \ No Mid pitch on nucleus falling to low. All tail syllables low and
level.
 Low Rise / No Low pitch on nucleus, rising steadily to the end of the
intonation pattern.
 High Rise / No Mid pitch or above on nucleus, rising steadily to end of
intonation pattern.
 Mid Level > No Mid pitch on nucleus, sustained to end of intonation pattern.
 Fall-Rise ˇNo High pitch on nucleus, falling to low, levelling out and rising
towards end of tail.
 Rise-Fall ^ No Mid or lowish pitch on nucleus, rising to high by end of
nucleus or next syllable, falling to low and then levelling out to end of
intonation pattern.
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 HIGH FALL
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LOW FALL
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HIGH RISE
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FALL RISE
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RISE FALL
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MID LEVEL
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 Intonation and meaning

– Various moods / states are usually associated
with a particular nuclear tone
– Check the following and try to utter accordingly
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 yes/no questions – rise ending

Did they do it?
 Tag-questions – a. fall tone suggests agreement (C 90, C
93) b. rising tone suggests uncertainty c. sometimes
a falling intonation can convey a note sympathy
 Wh-questions – falling tone (C 73, C 74)
What did they do?
- a rising tone may be used to suggest friendliness,
sympathy
Choice questions – first part – rising, final part – falling
Are you going or are you staying?
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 Exclamations – falling
ex. What an interesting book! What a shame!
Variation in tone can bring variation in meaning; ex. rise-fall vs.
level C 96, C 99)
 Commands and requests – falling
ex. Be calm! Come here!
- A rising tone is used to make the command gentler, more
encouraging
ex. Open your books!
 Statements – falling
ex. She sang.
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 Greetings – falling when normal;

– low-rising – for friendly or perfunctory greetings;
– rising-falling for cordial greetings, high pre-head
possible (Good ^ morning!)
 Apologies – falling-rising
 Apologetic phrases used instead of questions asking
for repetition: Sorry. Excuse me. I beg your pardon.
 Dismissals – falling ex. Good bye.
(ap. Calina Gogalniceanu, The English Phonetics and Phonology,
1993)
 Remember!!!!
Incorrectintonation can result in
misunderstandings, speakers losing interest or
even taking offence!
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 Practice with the following text:

THE THREE VOICES, Lewis Carroll, 1856
FIRST VOICE
He trilled a carol fresh and free,
He laughed aloud for very glee:
There came a breeze from off the sea:
It passed athwart the glooming flat-
It fanned his forehead as he sat-
It lightly bore away his hat,
All to the feet of one who stood
Like maid enchanted in a wood,
Frowning as darkly as she could.
With huge umbrella, lank and brown,
Unerringly she pinned it down,
Right through the centre of the crown.
Then, with an aspect cold and grim,
Regardless of its battered rim, She took
it up and gave it him.
A while like one in dreams he stood,
Then faltered forth his gratitude
In words just short of being rude:
For it had lost its shape and shine,
And it had cost him four-and-nine,
And he was going out to dine.
“To dine!” she sneered in acid tone
“To bend thy being to a bone
Clothed in a radiance not its own!"
The tear-drop trickled to his chin:
There was a meaning in her grin
That made him feel on fire within.
“Term it not ‘radiance’,” said he:
“’Tis solid nutriment to me.
Dinner is Dinner: Tea is Tea."
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Sources:
 Crystal, David, 1995, 1997, The Encyclopedia of the English
Language, CUP
 Gogalniceanu, Calina, 1993, The English Phonetics and
Phonology, Editura Fundatiei Chemarea, Iasi
 Mair, Christian, 2008, English linguistics, Gunther Narr Verlag,
Tuebingen
 https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/intonation
 https://www.proofreadingservices.com/blogs/esl/15344897-4-
exercises-for-improving-your-intonation#content