A CA of english and persian intonation

1. Presenter: Melika Rajabi

2.  Introduction
 Contrastive Analysis Declaratives: +/-
 Simple sentences Questions: Wh Q
Yes/no Tag Q
 Compound sentences Coordinate Sen.
Subordinate Sen. Conditional Sen
 Predictions dependent clause
 Experiment
 Discussion
 Conclusion

3. Theoretical stand point
 First objective
Predict the problems of Iranian speakers in
producing the correct patterns of English
intonation
Simple
Three levels of structure Compound
Complex

4.  Second objective
Evaluate CAH by means of a simple
experiment
CAH:
The degrees of similarity and difference
correspond respectively to the degrees
of simplicity and difficulty.

5. Simple Sentences
Falling intonation
English +
Persian +
Affirmative
Example
No serious difference
Declaratives

6. Declaratives
Negative
Falling intonation Stress
Negative markers
English + _
Persian + næ/ ne/ mæ
The intonation patterns don’t seem to be exactly the same

7. Questions
 Wh Q
Example:
Falling
intonation
Stress
English + Secondary stress/ Voice on content
word
Persian + Primary stress/ voice on Q word

8. Questions
 Yes/no Q
intonation
English 23 Glides to a slightly higher position
Persian Rising intonation
No change in word order except for ?aya
A change in the word order of the statement

9. Questions
lg Intonation Rising Falling
English Asking for
information
Get the
conformation
Persian Seeking information Confirmation
Question-tags

10.  Tag questions: mæge næ, næ, or ?intor nist
at
the end of the sentence

11. English
Rising intonation: The speaker is asking for
information
(2 3 2I2)
4
3
2
1
You can do it, can’t you?
Falling intonation: The speaker is a little more
sure that s/he is trying to get the confirmation
she expects
/2 3 1I3 1/

12. Compound sentences
2 sent. have falling tone if conj væ is fully pronounced
 In Persian
The pre-conj remains level, but the post-conj Sen is
falling

13. Compound sentences
Each Sen has only one primary stress
 In English
/232I231/ Slight pause at the end of the first Sen but the pitch
goes on with the beginning of the second sentence

14. Subordinate sentences
Conditional sentences
if-clause: a low rise
 In Persian
Subordinate clause: falling tone

15. Last syllable of the if-clause
receives primary accent followed
by a low rise
If is omitted in if-clause the
intonation pattern doesn’t change
If the order of clauses change, the
intonation pattern will slightly change

16. 1. if clause: /2 3 2/ pattern
In English subordinate clause: /2 3 1/ pattern
2.if clause: /2 3 2/ pattern with a low rise
subordinate clause: /2 3 1/ pattern

17. Note:
If the order of clauses
changes, the /2 3 2I2 3 1/
pattern will be used

18. Dependent clauses
Main clause: falling
 In Persian
Dependent clause: low rise

19. In English
The speaker intends to have a pause
so we have a little rise at the end of
the modifying clause
No pause

20. No pause

21. Predictions
 Basic assumptions of CAH:
Learners of any lg tend to transfer the structure of
their native lg into that of target lg.

22. General predictions derived
from the contrast made btw 2
lg
 Negative statements
Empathic expression
is rendered as

23.  Wh-questions
is rendered as

24.  Question-tags
No difficulty in intonation but substituting the information-
seeking intonation with asking for confirmation
is rendered as

25.  Different types of clauses
Difference: stress patterns of the 2 lgs causes
the learners to raise their voice on the Persian-
based accented words
is rendered as

26. Experiment
 The idea of interference was of preliminary significance
to the present study
Experiment
Subjects 10 university students majoring in fields other than English
Data Statements and questions among all the Sen types discussed
Administration -Select Sen of other types to divert their attention
-Read Sen once
-Record their voice
-four judges
-format with 3 column: words, tones, attitudes
Data analysis -Columns analyzed separately
-divide responses: S=similar to normal Eng
D=different from normal Eng.
followed Persian stress= inter
Locate stress on other words= others

27.  Discussion
 Affirmative Sentences:
1. 95% of SS, read with falling intonation
2. 29% followed the Persian Sen stress rule in
specifying the prominent words
In Persian stress occurs mostly on the final words or phrases

28.  20% stressed the words of the Sen in other
places according to their perception
Intralingual error, a complexity
within the TL

29.  Negative sentences
 93% correct in falling intonation
 62.25% stressed the wrong words
 50.75% located the strongest stress in negative
markers

30. Wh-question
 Contrary with predictions:
15% followed Persian stress sys (Not interference)
 Correct prediction:
84% of SS read Sen with a falling tone
Information-seeking type

31. Yes/no Q
 Confirmed predictions
87% used rising intonation at the end of the Q
60.25% located the correct Sen stress.
39.75% Placed strongest stress on other words
 Confusing phenomenon
Are you watching, boys?
Boy is an addressee in the former
Boy is an obj in the latter

32. Word ordering
English: often fixed
Wh-words
Persian: Flexibility is relatively greater
English: always fixed
Negative markers
Persian: more flexible

33. Conclusion
 Stress has sig influence on intonation
 To make the analysis reliable we have to take
the entire sentence structure into account not
just the end of it.
Lg intonation Falling in Rising in
English/ Persian statements, Wh-
questions
Yes/no questions
and some types
of tag questions
Similarities btw English and Persian

34. Conclusion
 Because Terms similarity and difference defined
broadly, result of many studies may not be valid
so we have to define them narrowly to have an
accurate result.
 Six level generalizations to specify the relative
degrees of similarity and difference between the
intonation patterns of 2 lgs

35. Level 1
 The final syllable of the last word in L1 &
L2 is stressed by similar pitch change

36. Level 2
 The final syllable of the word in the 2 lgs is
stressed regardless of its location in the Sen.

37. Level 3
 The final two-syllable word of the 2 Sen. is
stressed but:
The primary stress occurs on the
first syllable in L2
The primary stress occurs on
the second syllable in L2

38. Level 4
 Adjectives and the noun are stressed in L1
and L2 respectively

39. Level 5
 The negative markers are stressed in L1
but unstressed or less stressed in L2
The pitch changes toward
the end of the sentence
The pitch changes
on negative markers

40. Level 6
 Wh-words are stressed in L1 but
unstressed or less stressed in L2
Their position is fixed in L2
Any content word
towards the end of
the sentence

41. Stressed in L1 regardless of their place of
occurrence in the Sen.

43. Thank you for your
attention