ENGLISH INTONATION

1. PHONETICS AND
PHONOLOGY III
SORIA MARIO
SORIA MARIO D.

2. INTONATION
• Intonation refers to the melody of speech; it deals
with the RISE and FALL of the PITCH of the VOICE in
SPOKEN language.

3. SYSTEMS OF INTONATION
• Halliday introduced the notion of a trio of systems
operating in English intonation.
• TONALITY is the system by which a stretch of spoken text
is segmented into a series of discrete units of intonation
which correspond to the speaker`s perception of pieces
of information.
• TONICITY is the system by which an individual, discrete
unit of intonation is shown to have a prominent word
which indicates the focus of intonation.
• TONE is the system of contrasting pitch movement in
each unit of intonation, which, among other roles
identifies the status of the intonation.

4. TONES
• Tone is the contrastive pitch movement on the tonic
syllable.
• PRIMARY and SECONDARY TONES
• Primary tones are the basic contrastive pitch movement
on the tonic,i.e. whether the pitch of the voice MOVES
UP (rises), or MOVES DOWN (falls) or combines a
movement of DOWN and then UP (fall-rises).
• Secondary tones are the finer distinctions of the primary
tones,i.e. the degree to which the pitch of the voice
rises, falls or combines a fall and a rise (high pitch,
middle pitch, fall from a mid pitch or a high pitch).
Secondary tones also cover the pitch movements in the
pre-tonic segment.

5. GENERAL MEANINGS
FALL
• It indicates completeness- major information.
• COMPLETENESS
• FINALITY
• CERTAINTY

6. RISE
• One function is to indicate Incomplete
information.
• A common sequence of tones in a pair of
intonation units: A RISE IN THE FIRST (to
indicate incompleteness) and A FALL IN THE
SECOND (to indicate completeness).
• He simply got ̗up and went `home.
• A rising tone before a fall indicates
incomplete information;
• after a fall, minor information.
• A falling- rising tone before a fall indicates
theme highlighting; after a fall, or
independently it indicates an IMPLICATION.

7. RISE
• INCOMPLETENESS
• NON FINAL
• UNCERTAINTY

8. FALL AND RISE
• This sequence is what Halliday termed MAJOR and
MINOR information. The main piece of information is
contained in the FIRST UNIT and the SECOND UNIT
contains an extra piece of information.
• MAJOR/MINOR is one system in information;
complete/incomplete is another: a fall represents
either major o complete and a rise either minor or
incomplete.

9. FALL-RISE
• The fall-rise has different meanings depending on
whether it precedes a fall, or whether it itself is final.
• WHEN IT PRECEDES THE FALL:
• When a fall-rise tone precedes a fall in a close
sequence of two units, it comes as a contrast with
the ordinary rise.Eg:
• In the ̗kitchen| you`ll find a sur¬prise.
• In the I kitchen| you`ll find a sur¬prise.

10. • WHEN IT IS IN FINAL POSITION:
• It indicates some kind of IMPLICATION “there is a but
about it”(Halliday)  it includes RESERVATION,
CONTRAST, PERSONAL OPINION OFFERED FOR
CONSIDERATION and CONCESSION.
• It`s cheap (reservation: `but that`s not the
only thing that is true about it`)
• It I looks expensive (contrast:`but is it really?
`)
• It`s worth con sidering (personal opinion:
`that`s what i think?`)
• Let him think about it (concession: `at
least, do that`)

11. IMPLICATION
• The fall-rise conveys `some insinuation in
making the statement, expecting the hearer
to understand more than is said`.
The speaker does not have to verbalize the
insinuation, but assumes that the hearer can
extrapolate the additional message from
the context, the setting or common
knowledge.
The point of using the fall-rise is that the
additional thought does not need to be
expressed overtly.

12. LOW BOUNCE
•In STATEMENTS: soothing, reassuring, hint of great self-
confidence and self-reliance; (in echoes) questioning
with a tone of surprise and disbelief; (in non-final word
groups)creating expectancy about what is to follow.
Where are you going? ̍Just to post a ̗letter
•In WH-QUESTION: with the nuclear tone on the
interrogative word, puzzled; (in echoes) disapproving;
otherwise sympathetically interested.
They did it last week. They ̍did it ̗when?

13. • In YES-NO QUESTIONS: genuinely interested.
̍ Are you ˚coming ̗with us?
• In COMMANDS: soothing, encouraging, calmy
patronizing.
̍ ̗
Don`t worry.
• In INTERJECTIONS: airly, casual yet encouraging,
often friendly, brighter than when said with the take
off.
Shall I stand over here? ̍Yes, ̗please

14. SWITCHBACK
• ATTITUDE
• In STATEMENTS: grudgingly admitting. Reluctancy or
defensively dissenting, concerned, reproachful,
hurt, reserved, tentatively suggesting; (in echoes)
greatly astonished.
i know his i face, / but i can`t recall his `name.//

15. • In QUESTIONS: (in echoes) greatly astonished;
otherwise, interested and concerned as well as
surprised.
what`s the matter? ̍What`s the ̍ matter?
• In COMMANDS: urgently warning with a note of
reproach or concern.
̍ Careful with that ̍ glass!ǁ ( You`ll drop it)
• In INTERJECTIONS: scornful.
Did you lend him any money? ̍ Not ̍ I.

16. HIGH BOUNCE
• ATTITUDE
• In STATEMENTS: questioning, trying to elicit a
repetition, but lacking any suggestion of
disapproval or puzzlement; (in non-final word
groups) casual, tentative.
it`s your fault. i My fault?
• In WH-QUESTIONS: with the nuclear tone on the
interrogative word, calling for a repetition of the
information already given; with the nuclear tone
following the interrogative word, either echoing the
listener`s question before going to answer it or (in
straightforward, non-echo questions) tentative,
casual.

17. • In YES/NO QUESTIONS: either echoing the listener´s
questions or (straightforward, non-echo questions)
light and casual.
Put your mac on ̍Is it ̍ raining?
• In COMMANDS and INTERJECTIONS: querying all or
part of the listener´s command or interjection, but
with no crucial intention.
Take it home. Take it ̍ home?ǁ ( Is
̍
that what you
said?)
he said he was tired. hReally?

18. SPECIFIC MEANINGS
STATEMENTS
•THE DEFINITIVE FALL: complete, expressed with
confidence, definitely and unreservedly.Finality.
My name is M John.
This is a Tpen

19. THE IMPLICATIONAL FALL-RISE: non-finality,
contrast, reservations, tentative
Who`s that? Well I ̍know her ̍ face?