lecture_14_functions of intonation (1)

7/27/2019 LECTURE_14_Functions of Intonation (1)

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FUNCTIONS OF

INTONATION

(Chapters 18 & 19)


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What would an utterance lose if

intonation were omitted?

Every syllable said on the same level pitch

No pauses

No changes in speed and loudness

Such would be speech produced by themechanical speech device

Therefore, intonation makes it easier forthe listener to understand the meaning aspeaker is trying to convey


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4 main functions of intonation:

Attitudinal function

Accentual function

Grammatical functionDiscourse function


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Intonation enables the speaker to express

emotions and attitudes which adds a

special meaning to spoken language as a

difference from its written counterpart


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Accentual function

Intonation helps to produce the effect of

prominence on syllables that should be

perceived as stressed while tonic stress

on a particular syllable marks the word asthe most important in the tone-unit.


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Grammatical function

The listener better recognizes grammar

and what is being said by using the

information contained in intonation: e.g.

placement of boundaries betweenphrases, clauses and sentences,

difference between questions and

statements, use of grammaticalsubordination, etc.


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Discourse function

Intonation can signal to the listener what is

to be taken as new information within the

act of speaking, when the speaker is

indicating a contrast or link with thematerial from previous tone-units and it

can also make the listener feel what kind

of response is expected


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Attitudinal and discourse functions

Overlap in certain ways

The other 3 functions can hardly bedisentangled as:

E.g. placement of tonic stress is closelylinked to the presentation of new

information;Question/statement distinction is equallyimportant in grammar and discourse


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Common to accentual, grammatical

and discourse functions:

is indication by means of intonation of the

relationship between a linguistic element

and the context in which it occurs


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The same sentence can be said in

different ways labelled as happy, angry,

grateful, etc.

Intonation differs from language to

language

Often pointed out that if a foreign learner

does not learn proper intonation he/she

may unintentionally give offence


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How to analyse the attitudinal

function?

Try saying one sentence with differentintonation patterns

Ask a group of listeners what attitudes

they think have been expressedAsk them to choose among a smallnumber of adjectives or labels

Ask a lot of speakers to say a list ofsentences in different ways according tolabels provided by the analyst


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A more useful and realistic

approach:

To study recordings of different speakersnatural, spontaneous speech and on thisbasis make generalisations about attitudes

and intonationMaterial chosen should be neutral from theemotional point of view, i.e. pure questionsor utterances qualified by the use of specificvocabulary indicating their purpose shouldnot be considered


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Components of intonation:

Sequential

Prosodic

paralinguistic


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Sequential component

Components never occur simultaneously

They are: pre-head, head, tonic syllable,

tail

Pauses

Tone-unit boundaries


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Prosodic component

Characteristics of speech that are constantly

present while the speech is going on:

- Width of pitch range

- Key

- Loudness

- Speed

- Voice quality- (rhythmicality)


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Paralinguistic component

Facial expressions, gestures, body

language

Vocal effects: laughs, sobs, ...

Effects relevant to the act of speaking but

not proper components of speech


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Tones conveying meanings:

Fall: finality, definiteness

- Stop talking! Im absolutely certain! That isthe end of news!

Rise:

- Functions nearer to grammatical than toattitudinal: e.g. general questions: Can you

help me?; listing: red, brown and black;more to follow ...: I phoned them right a way;

encouraging: It wont hurt.


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Fall-rise:

- uncertainty, doubt: You may be right.

- Requesting: Can I buy it?

Rise-fall:- surprise, being impressed:

You were first.


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Generalisations of the kind are:

Very broad

Foreign learners do not easily acquire intonationonly through studying patterns

Still, wider pitch range = excited or enthusiasticspeaking; slower speed = typical of the speech oftired or bored person

Useful but difficult to teach or learn if not speaking

or listening to native speakers; still, building upawareness and sensitivity for ways nativespeakers use intonation has been our aim


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Accentual function

Derived from the word accent = stress

Placement of stress is determined by

intonation

Although stress has been presented as

independent of and placing of stress prior

to the choice of intonation, placement of

the tonic stress within the tone-unit can be

regarded as part of intonation.


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Location of the tonic syllable

Of great linguistic importance

The most common position on the last

lexical word of the tone-unit

But, for contrastive purposes any word can

become the bearer of the tonic syllable

Thus, the placement of the tonic syllablerepresents the focus of the information


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Examples of contrast / emphasis

I want to know where hes travelling to

I want to know where hes travelling from

She was wearing a red dress

It was very boring

It was very boring

You mustnt talk so loudly

You mustnt talk so loudly


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Tonic syllable earlier in the tone-

unit, not for reasons of empasis

I have plans to leave

I have plans to leave The rule??

Heres that book you asked me to bring

Ive got to take the dog for a walk

Ive got to take the dog to the vet


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Grammatical function

Sentences which when written are ambiguous,

and ambiguity can only be removed by

different intonation: e.g.

Those who sold quickly made a profit

(A profit was made by those who sold quickly)

Those who sold quickly made a profit

(A profit was quickly made by those who sold)


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Link between

tone-unit and units of grammar

Tone-unit boundaries usually occur at

boundaries between grammatical units of

higher order than words (at sentence

boundary: e.g. I wont have any tea Idont like it)

At phrase and clause boundaries: e.g.

In France where farms tend to be smaller

the subsidies are more im portant


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Restrictive vs. non-restrictive

relative clause

The Conservatives who like the proposalare pleased (only some of them)

The Conservatives, who like the proposal,

are pleased (all of them)Grammatical significance of tone on the

tonic syllable : rise with questions, choice

between falling/rising tone can differentiatestatement and question of the same for(e.g. Why do you want to buy it? The priceis going up)


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Falling tone with questions

Wh-questions: where did you park the car

Question tags: They are coming on

Tuesday arent they (the example shows

overlapping between attitudinal and

grammatical function)


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Discourse function

An attempt to look at larger contexts in

which sentences occur (R., p.198);

sentences form part of a larger act of

conversational interaction betweenspeakers

They make references to the shared

knowledge


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Intonation and discourse

Intonation focuses the listeners attention

(by placing tonic stress on the appropriate

syllable) on important aspects of the

message

Intonation regulates conversational

behaviour


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Falling tone is used to indicate new

information

Rising toneindicates shared or given

information

(R., p.199)


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Intonational subordination

A case when we signal that a particular

tone-unit is of comparatively low

importance and give greater importance to

adjacent tone-units. (R., p.200)


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Regulation of conversational

behaviour

It refers to what the speaker is doing in

speaking: questioning, challenging,

advising, encouraging, disapproving, etc.

It signals when one has finished speaking

and whether another person is expected to

speak (regulates turn-taking), a particular

type of response, etc.


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lecture_14_functions of intonation (1)

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