This document describes five different intonational styles of speech: informational, academic, publicistic, declamatory, and conversational. Each style has a different purpose and characteristic prosodic features. The informational style conveys information without emotion and has a low, stable pitch. The academic style is used for lectures and discussions and has systematic rhythm. The publicistic style aims to influence and involve listeners with a variety of pitches and volumes. The declamatory style appeals to both the mind and emotions with descriptive pitch movements. Finally, the conversational style is relaxed and unpredictable with irregular rhythm. Mastering these intonational styles can improve communication.

1. Intonational styles
Style Informational
Style
(Most neutral)
Academic
Style
Publicistic
Style
Declamatory
Style
Conversational
Style
Purpose --Convey
information
without expressing
any emotions or
attitudes
--Leastmarked kind
of situationally
influenced
--Inform
--Win the
attention and
interest of the
public
--Establish a
contact with the
audience
--Persuade
--Influence
--Involvethe
audience into the
talk and to make
the listeners take
the speaker’s
point of view
--Appeal
simultaneously to
the mind and
emotions of the
listener
--Everyday
communication
Requests --Itis an
intellectual and
volitional type of
speech so it
requires:
--Emotional
coloring
Itis never
spontaneous and
is often even
rehearsed
Special training --Relaxed
--Lack of planning
--Unpredictable
--There are a lot of
errors, slips,
hesitations
Usage --Broadcasting
--Press reporting
--Oral
representation of
any information or
a written text
--Formalbusiness
conversations
--Classroom
teaching
--Lectures
--Scientific
discussions
--Conferences,
etc.
--Public
discussions on
political
--Judicial or
economic topics
--Sermons
--Parliamentary
debates
--Stage
--TV screen
--Class in reading
aloud proseor
poetry
--Friends
--Relatives
--Well-acquainted
people

2. Characteristic
prosodic
features
--Low Fall/Rise with
Descending Heads
and High Level
Head
--Stable and normal
loudness
--Normalor
relatively slow
speed
--Mostly syntactic
pauses;
--Systematic and
properly organized
rhythm
--High/Low Falls
and Fall-Rises with
Stepping Head
--High loudness
--A large
proportion of
pauses that serve
to bring out
semantic centers
--Normalor
relatively slow
speed
--Systematic and
properly
organized rhythm
-- Using tempo
contrasts
-- Types of heads
and terminal
tones
--A lot of High Falls
and Fall-Rises with
Descending and
Ascending Heads
--Changes of
loudness from
fortissimo to
whispering
--Rather slow
speed
--Intonation
groups arenot
short, separated
with rather long
mostly syntactical
and emphatic
pauses
--Properly
organized rhythm
--Emotional,
mimics and
gestureare also
applied
--Falling, level
nuclear tones with
Low/High Level or
Stepping Head
--Varied loudness
--Rather slow
speed
--Properly
organized and
stable rhythm
--Falling or rising
tones with Level or
Falling Heads
--Normalloudness
--Varied speed
--Intonation groups
are rather short
separated by
pauses, mostly
hesitations, which
can be both silent
and filled
--Irregular rhythm
• Each style has some varieties depending on the extra-linguistic factors
• Each can be realized in different forms: monologue, dialogue, polilogue, in speaking and reading, etc.
• It’s also important to note that any style is seldom realized in its pure form, each oraltext usually includes phonetic
characteristics of different styles, so there’s overlapping (or fusion) of styles
• The knowledge of peculiarities of the usage of different phonetic styles improves the effectiveness of speech,
facilitates understanding and communication, so it shouldn't be ignored in both teaching and learning a foreign
language.