Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sport of Ukraine

The Department of Foreign Languages Practice and Teaching Methodology

Intonation

In different types of utterances

Prepared:

Maryna Olegivna Korolenko

Checked:

Maryna Volodymyrivna Zembytska

Khmelnitskyi 2011

Contents

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………...3

1. WHAT ARE INTONATION UNIT, TONE and INTONATION? ……………………5

2. THE FUNCTIONS of INTONATION…………………………………………………7

3. FALLING, RISING and FALL-RISING TONES……………………………………...9

4. INTONATION in STATEMENTS…………………………………………………...11

4.1 The definitive fall………………………………………………………………....11

4.2 The implicational fall-rise…………………………………………………………11

4.3 Declarative questions……………………………………………………………...15

4.4 Uptalk……………………………………………………………………………..15

4.5 Yes, no and elliptical answers……………………………………………………..16

4.6 Independent rises……………………………………………………………….....16

5. INTONATION in QUESTIONS……………………………………………………...19

5.1 Wh questions……………………………………………………………………...19

5.2 Yes-no questions………………………………………………………………......20

5.3 Tag questions……………………………………………………………………...21

5.4 Independent elliptical questions…………………………………………………..23

5.5 Checking…………………………………………………………………………..24

6. INTONATION in OTHER SENTENCE TYPES…………………………………….28

6.1 Exclamations………………………………………………………………………28

6.2 Commands………………………………………………………………………...29

6.3 Interjections and greetings………………………………………………………...30

APPENDIX………………………………………………………………………………33

CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………………………………...34

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………..35

Introduction

Every language has its own intonation, or speech melody. Intonation helps you to recognize the language that you hear in the same way as the melody of a song helps you to recognize the song that you hear. If you change the melody of a song, your listener will have a hard time recognizing and understanding the song you are singing. The same is true in reference to intonation: if you speak English with Ukrainian intonation, your listener will have a problem understanding what you are saying.

English intonation is a pretty complicated and varied phenomenon. There are dialectal and regional differences in intonation. For example, there is a noticeable difference between British and American intonation. Intonation may sound differently depending on whether the speakers have high or low voices, speak fast or slowly, loudly or quietly, energetically, emotionally, neutrally, or listlessly. Men and women may have their own differences and preferences in intonation. For the purpose of studying, this variety may be described in several intonation patterns characteristic of English speech.

In general, linguists distinguish several main types of English intonation. Falling intonation and rising intonation are the two basic types. Other main types of intonation include high fall, low fall, rise-fall, high rise, midlevel rise, low rise, and fall-rise. They are variations of the two basic types of intonation. Language learners should master the typical patterns of standard falling intonation and rising intonation before studying their variations.

Significant is the fact that native speakers are often unaware of intonation and its role in their language. This applies to English as well as to other spoken languages. Simply put, it means that while native English speakers can easily recognize the grammatical and pronunciation difficulties faced by non-native speakers, and thus make allowances for their errors, they are unable to do so for intonation. More often than not, intonation errors made by non-native speakers may not be recognized and, hence, may lead to misunderstanding. An example in point is when non-native speakers mistakenly use intonation patterns which convey to native hearers unintended notes of rudeness. Unaware of possible intonation errors, native hearers may take the perceived rudeness to be deliberate. It is widely accepted that students who wish to acquire oral competence in a foreign language need to be trained not only to communicate information, but to do so in the same way as native speakers. Various studies have shown that most speakers tend to form subjective evaluations of other people on the basis of their speech habits. Thus, the non-native speaker of a language, English for example, would be particularly at a disadvantage. In Lantolf, Lane and Buiten contend that “Native speakers of the language view the novice speaker at best with suspicion and at worst with ridicule and hostility”. This buttresses the argument that intonation is a strong aspect of language which has always had its effect on communication. Pike in clarifies this point with the contention that “We often react more violently to…intonational meanings than to…lexical ones; if a man's tone of voice belies his words, we immediately assume that the intonation more faithfully reflects his true linguistic intentions”.

However, there are those phonologists who do not whole-heartedly embrace this point of view. In fact, there has always been some lively debate on the degree and quality which intonation contributes to successful communication. Ranalli cites Roach who suggests that “Reports of miscommunication are overestimated, and that when nonstandard English creates misunderstanding or causes offence, the root of the problem is on very few occasions found to be intonation”. Despite such doubting comments, many professionals working in L2 (Second Language) or ESL (English as a Second Language) environments tend to accept popular research and anecdotal data showing persistent problems and difficulties arising from intonational misunderstandings between native and non-native speakers. In turn, this situation gives intonation a significant role in advancing the degree and quality of daily communication between the two groups.