Intonation

1. Intonation

2. Utterance 话语 • What is said by any one person before or after another person begins to speak. An utterance may consist of one word, one sentence, or more than one sentence. 指任何一个人在另一个人开始 说话之前或之后所说的话。 1

3. Utterance meaning • This is the reason for my being late. • I can’t tell you the time. • I really have to get it repaired. • What about buying me another one? 指说话者在特定的上下文情景中 用特定的话语来传达的意义。 • The meaning a speaker conveys by using a particular utterance in a particular context situation. • For example: • My watch has stopped again. • What meaning could it convey? 1

4. Pitch 音调，音高 我们听别人说话时，会听出有些音货音组在 发音时会比其他音或音组相对高些或低些。 听话人感觉到的这种语音的 相对高度叫“音高”。 我们听得见的音调是由声带振动而成的。 声带振动越快，音调越高。 • When we listen to people speaking, we can hear some sounds or groups of sounds in their speech to be relatively higher or lower than others. This relative height of speech sounds as perceived by a listener is called “pitch”. 1

5. tone 声调是由于声带振动的速率的 不同而引起的音高变化。 Tones are pitch variations, which are caused by the differing rates of vibration of the vocal cords. Tone refers to the height of PITCH and change of pitch which is associated with the pronunciation of syllables or words and which affects the meaning of the word. 声调指音节或单词的发音中的音调高低 及其变化，声调影响词的意义。

6. Tone can be divided into the following 2 kinds: • 1) level tone • 2) moving tone

7. Moving tone can be divided into the following 3 kinds: • Rising tone • Falling tone • Falling-rising tone

8. English tones: • Are you a student? ↗ • I am a teacher. ↘ • Would you like a cup of tea, or a cup of coffee? ↗ ↘

9. Definition of intonation When pitch, stress and sound length are tied to the sentence rather than the word in isolation, they are collectively known as intonation. 句子中除了孤立的单词之外，还被附加了音高、重音和音长等因素，所有这些东西统称为语调。

10. intonation 人们说话时通常提高和降低音调， 形成一些音调模式。 他们还把某些音节说得响些， 并且改变言语节奏。 这些现象就叫作语调。 • when speaking, people generally raise and lower the PITCH of their voice, forming pitch patterns. They also give some syllables in their utterances a greater degree of loudness and change their SPEECH RHYTHM. These phenomena are called intonation. 1

11. intonation • Intonation refers to the total pattern of pitch changed, i.e., the rising and falling of the voice when a person is speaking, within an utterance. 1

12. intonation • Intonation does not happen at random but has definite patterns which can be analysed according to their structure and functions. Intonation is used to carry information over and above that which is expressed by the words in the sentence. • ---Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics 语调不是随便出现的， 它有一定的模式， 可以根据其结构和功能进行分析。 语调用来传达句子中词语所不能表达的信息。 1

13. intonation • Intonation makes speech meaningful in two ways: • It shows the relationship of words within and between sentences. • It tells something about the feeling of the speaking. 1

14. Same utterance + Different pitch → different meaning • Express feelings: happiness, sadness, surprise, annoyance, anger, … • WHAT + HOW → MEANING 1

15. Part Ⅱ Uses of Intonation

16. 1. Falling tone is used in the following types of sentences. • 1) Ordinary statements a. She’s a very good actress. ↘ b. He was here a moment ago. ↘ c. This is John. He’s from America. ↘

17. 2) WH questions (special questions): a. What did you think of the show? ↘ b. Which is your favourite subject? ↘

18. 3) Imperative sentences (strong commands) a. Stand up! ↘ b. Be quiet! ↘ c. Out! ↘

19. 4) Exclamatory sentences a. What a beautiful day! ↘ b. How nice of him! ↘ c. Wow! What a beautiful girl over there! ↘

20. alternative • 5) The final part of the • questions: a. Is she American(↗) or British? ↘ b. Which is yours(↘), the blue one(↗) or the red one? ↘ c. How shall we go? (↘) By bus(↗), by train(↗) or by plane? ↘

21. 6) The former part of the disjunctive questions: a. He was there (↘), wasn’t he? b. You didn’t go (↘), did you? ※ The falling tone is also used in the latter part of the disjunctive questions when the speaker is pretty confident that his listener will not contradict. a. The weather is fine, isn’t it? ↘ b. I was right, wasn’t I? ↘

22. 7)Rhetorical questions: 修辞问句 These are questions which need not be answered, since the answer is obvious. They are like exclamations and often sound impatient. a.Are you satisfied? ↘ (You ought to be!) b. Do you understand it now? ↘ (You ought to understand it now!) c. Well, can I have the newspaper? ↘ (Give me the newspaper!) d. waht difference does it make?↘ (It makes no differnce.)

23. 8) When showing strong feeling or irony, we use high-pitch falling tone : a. What’s the matter? ↘

24. 9) Short questions used as responses: a. – John’s on holiday. – Is he? ↘ b. – I went to the theatre last night. – Did you? ↘

25. 2.Rising tone is used in the following types of sentences. • 1) Yes – no questions (general questions) showing great doubt or uncertainty: a. Are you quite sure? ↗ b. Did you notice anything wrong with it? c. Has my book been found? ↗ d. Have you met my sister before? ↗ ↗

26. 2)Complete statements which are intended as questions: a. You like it? ↗ b. He’s definitely going? ↗ c. I must arrive there before seven? ↗

27. ３)The preceding alternatives in alternative questions: a. Was he from England(↗) or from France? b. Do you study French (↗) or German (↗) or Russian?

28. ４) Tag questions of some disjunctive questions: a. You can swim, can’t you? ↗ b. You didn’t see him, did you? ↗ c. One of Jack’s friends is a bus driver, isn’t he? ↗

29. 5) Implication: a. You will travel with Jack? ↗

30. 6) Repetition - questions: When you want the other person to repeat some information, use the rising tone (usually low) with the interrogative word as the nucleus. a. – Pass me the newspaper. – What did you say?↗ b. – Jane told me to do it. – Who told you to do it? ↗ c. – John is fifty – two. – What? How old did you say he was? ↗

31. 7) Incomplete groups or enumerations(列举): a. I found the key(↗) and opened the door. b. He sat down by my side (↗), took out a small piece of bread (↗) and gave it to me. c. I like football(↗), basketball(↗), swimming(↗) and skating. d. One(↗), two(↗), three(↗), four(↗), five.

32. 8) Adverbials at the beginning of sentences: a. A moment later(↗), Newton came in. b. When I arrived(↗), there was nobody at home. c. While we’re waiting(↗), let’s go and have some thing to eat.

33. 9) Polite requests: a. Move along, please. ↗ b. Do come again. ↗ c. Take a seat. ↗ ※ An imperative sentence becomes a request if the rising tone is used. a. Open the window(↘). (command) Open the window(↗). (request) b. Come and get it. (↘). (command) Come and get it. (↗). (request)

34. 10) Tag questions after commands (in fact a form of invitation): a. Come over here, will you? ↗ b. Hold this for me, would you? ↗ c. Let’s go for a walk, shall we? ↗

35. 11) Some statements which are intended to be soothing or encouraging: a. I won’t drive too fast. ↗ (so don’t worry) b. I’ll be ready in a minute. ↗ c. – It’s going to be painful, isn’t it? – No, I shan’t hurt you. ↗

36. 12) Some special questions which sound more friendly and concerned: a. When did you get back from holiday? ↗ b. What is your name? ↗ c. What’s the matter? ↗

37. 3. Falling-rising tone is used in the following types of sentences. • 1) Statements when contrast is implied: a. On weekdays(↘ ↗) I work, but on Sundays(↘ ↗) I don’t. b. He(↘ ↗) doesn’t want it. But his brother(↘ ↗) may.

38. 2) Statements which imply reservation: a. – I’d like to have a try. – You ought to try(↘↗) (even if you are not sure to succeed..) b. – Can you play chess? – Once(↘↗) I could. (But I haven’t played for ages.)

39. 3) Statements which show disagreement or contradiction or correction of what someone else has said: a. – I can’t do it. – You can(↘↗). b. – Your method is useless. – Mine(↘↗) may be.

40. 4) Warnings: a. You’ll miss your train. ↘↗ b. Careful with that glass. ↘↗ (You’ll drop it.)

41. 5) This tone may be used to express apology: a. – Is Jane in? – I’m sorry (↘↗), but she’s out. b. – We’ve just had a group discussion. – I’m sorry(↘↗) I was absent.

42. 6) Hesitation: a. – How do you like it? – It is good(↘↗). b. – Is Ms Zhu gorgeous today? – Not(↘) bad(↗).

43. to summarize The Attitudinal Function • Intonation is used to convey our feelings and attitudes. • falling intonation: completeness, definiteness, • rising intonation: incompleteness, uncertainty, questioning • falling-rising tone: feelings of hesitiation, contrast, reservation, doubt 1

44. Intonation Units • Intonation unit, intonation group, tone group, tone unit. • Nucleus tonic syllable • Pre-head, Head, Tail 1

45. Functions of Intonation • The Accentual Function • The location of the tonic syllable is of considerable linguistic importance. the most common position for this is on the last information word of the intonation unit. For contrastive purposes, however, any word may bear the tonic syllable. 1

46. The grammatical function • Some sentences may be ambiguous when written, but this can be removed by the use of intonation. • For example: • Those who sold quickly made a profit. • p247 1

47. the Discourse Function • In speech, people often use intonation to focus the listener's attention on aspects of the message that are most important. • the placement of nucleus or tonice stress depends on the "information content":the more predictable a word's occurrence is in a given context, the lower its information content is. • For example: P247 1