Ph_Gr

PHONETICS SECTION

INTONATION AND ITS COMPONENTS Intonation / prosody is a complex unity of components, such as:

1)speech melody / pitch component;

2)loudness;

3)tempo;

4)sentence stress;

5)rhythm;

6)pausation;

7)voice timbre.

Speech melody is the variations in the pitch level (high, medium and low) and the pitch range (the interval between two pitch levels). It depends on the frequency of vibration of the vocal cords.

Loudness is the amplitude of vibration of the vocal cords.

Tempo is the relative speed of utterance determined by the rate (speed) of syllable succession and the length of pauses.

Slow speech – lento – 2-4 syllables per second; Normal speech – 3-6 syllables per second;

Fast speech – allegro – 5-9 syllables per second.

Sentence stress is a greater prominence given to one or more words in a sentence according to their importance.

Rhythm is regular flow of speech in which stressed and unstressed syllables occur at definite intervals.

Pausation – pauses in an utterance (long, short and very short; syntactic, emphatic, hesitation pauses)

Voice timbre is a special colouring of human voice.

FUNCTIONS OF THE INTONATION

1.The constitutive / sentence-forming function

2.The distinctive function (intonation serves to distinguish communicative types of sentences)

3.The attitudinal function (expresses the speaker’s emotions and attitudes)

Stylistic use of intonation

An intonational style is a system of interrelated intonational means which is used in a social sphere and serves a definite aim of communication. The choice of an intonational style is determined by the purpose of communication and by a number of other extralinguistic factors (mimics, gestures, etc.) and social factors.

The following intonational styles can be singled out:

1.Informational / Formal

2.Academic / Scientific

3.Publicistic / Oratorial

4.Declamatory / Artistic

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5. Conversational / Familiar

The purpose of communication determines three types of information conveyed in oral texts: intellectual, attitudinal (emotional) and volitional, and accordingly there are three basic intonation patterns. Each of these types of information is realized by means of specific prosodic features.

Informational style is used to communicate information without giving it any emotional evaluation mostly by radio and television announcers in pressreporting and broadcasting: weather forecasts, news, etc. or in various official situations. It is stylistically neutral.

FreshdealtoendRiorubbishcollectionstrike

Rio de Janeiro authorities and street cleaners say they have reached a new agreement to end an eight-day strike which has left tonnes of rubbish on the streets of the Brazilian city. The strike by street sweepers had led to piles of rubbish and a bad smell on the street during carnival week. Julia Carneiro reports for the BBC.

There's something rotten in Rio - and the smell is coming from the huge stacks of rubbish piled up on sidewalks all over the city. Rio's street sweepers chose the carnival holiday to demand better salaries. Their wages start at roughly $400 a month.

Declamatory / Artistic style uses intellectual, volitional and emotional intonation patterns. Its aim is to influence the mind, the will and feelings of the listener by image-bearing devices. It is widely used in stage speech, classroom recitation or in reading fiction aloud.

Narrator:

Once upon a time in winter, when the snowflakes were falling like feathers from heaven, a beautiful Queen sat sewing at her window, which had a frame of black

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ebony wood. As she sewed, she looked up at the snow and pricked her finger with the needle. Three ruby red drops of blood fell into the soft white snow.

Snow White’s Mother:

Oh, what a lovely sight. If only I had a child with skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hear black as ebony wood.

Academic / Scientific style employs intellectual and volitional intonation patterns. It is objective and precise and is used by lecturers, teachers and scientists.

Job-related stress

Many people today complain of job-related stress. Indeed numerous surveys have shown that most working adults today perceive the workplace to be a more challenging environment than in previous generations.

Although on the surface of it, stressful work and challenging work may appear to be identical, it is important to distinguish between the two terms. Job stress occurs when the demands of a job do not match the worker’s needs, resources or skills. A teacher who is required to teach a subject he or she knows nothing about or is not interested in is likely to experience job stress. Prolonged job stress can result in poor physical or emotional health, or what we call ‘burnout’. A challenging job is very different in that it encourages the worker to develop skills and resources. Meeting a challenge is rewarding. It is comparable to stretching out to grasp a prize that is nearly within reach.

Publicistic / Oratorial style is characterized mostly by volitional intonation patterns. Its aim is to influence the listener and convince him. It is used mostly in public speeches by politicians, commentators, judges, etc.

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Inaugural Address by President Barack Obama

United States Capitol

11:55 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice,

members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: Each time we gather to inaugurate a President we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional -- what makes us American -- is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Conversational / Familiar style is typical of everyday life, is used in informal conversations of relatives, friends and well-acquainted people. Attitudinal intonation patterns prevail in this style.

F:Hi Julie – you’re back! How did it go?

D:Wicked, Dad. Absolutely great!

F:Come on, sit down. I want to hear all about it – everything!

D: Well, first of all, when I got to the airfield, I checked in at the reception and they told me what was going to happen. Then I was introduced to the instructor. He was so nice. Really relaxed and friendly – so I began to feel a bit less nervous! And when I saw the plane I nearly ran away!

F:Why?!

D:It was so small and lightit looked as if it would break up if you touched it!

F:But you did get in it?

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