Objectives:

1. Definition of Intonation
2. Why learn the Rules of Intonation?
3. Five benefits of having a very good
intonation.
4. Tune shapes
5. Functions of intonation
6. Tone units
7. The basic English tones/ intonation
Contents
 1. What is English intonation?

 Intonation is a meaningful suprasegemtal feature of

speech.
- In linguistics, intonation is the variation of pitch
when speaking.
- Or Intonation is the way the voice rises or falls
when communicating. In short, it is the music of
speech.
Intonation is the pattern of pitch changes that
occurs over a phrase which may be a complete
sentence.
eg: I bought some bananas, oranges, apples and
grapes
- Intonation and stress are two main elements of
linguistic prosody (ngắt nhịp).
 The words do not change their meanings but the tones
we use adds something to the words, and it adds is the
speaker’s feeling. This way of using tunes is called
intonation.
 English intonation is English. It is not the same as the
intonation of any other language.
Watch a video about Intonation
 2. Why learn the Rules of Intonation?

 having the right intonation helps us sound clearer and

more natural.
 3. The five benefits of having a very
good intonation.
1. Awareness of intonation aids communication.
2. Incorrect intonation can result in
misunderstandings, speakers losing interest, or
even taking offense!
3. Intonation allows you to play well in tune. So,
the better the tune, the more you’ll sound better
and will be perceived as a better speaker.
4. Your tone is usually better and more consistent
because you have better control in managing your
air better in order to play in tune better. Your
technique has to improve in order to make the
adjustments necessary to play in tune.
5. You will feel more confident and at ease when
you know your intonation is good. When you have
good intonation, speaking in English will become
more fun!
 4. Tune shapes
 The shape of a tune is decided partly by the number of
important words in the group, and partly by the exact
attitude you wish to express. Important words are
words which carry the most meaning in a word group.
Important words must be stressed, but not all stressed
words are important.
 Eg: - John enjoys music.
 5. Functions of intonation
 The attitudinal function of English intonation
 The accentual function of English intonation
 The grammatical function of English intonation
 The discourse function of English intonation
 a. The attitudinal function of English
intonation

 Intonation enables us to epxress emotions and attitudes as

we speak, and this adds a special kind of meaning to
spoken language. => This is called the attitudinal function
of intonation.
 Example : “thank you”
 The voice starts high and ends low and it shows gratitude.

 The voice starts low and ends high and it shows a rather casual
acknowledgement of something not very important.

=> English intonation belongs to sentence /utterance, and many

consist of more than one intonation unit in which intonation
countour is of great importance.
 b. The accentual function of English
intonation
 refers to accent. Some writers attach the word accent to
stress. When it is said that intonation has accentual
function, it implies that the placement of stress is
somewhat determined by intonation.
 b. 1. The most common position for the placement of tonic
syllable is the last lexical word (nouns, adjectives, words,
adverbs) and not the functional words. For contrastive purpose,
however any word may become the bearer of tonic syllable.
 b. 2. Similarly for the purpose of emphasis the
tonic stress can be placed in other positions.
 Eg:
+ The movie was very boring. # The movie was very boring
+ You shouldn’t talk so loudly # You shouldn’t talk so loudly
 b. 3. Intonation is used to clear out the
ambiguities
 Eg:
 a- I have plans to leave (I am planning to leave)
 b- I have plans to leave
(I have some plans/diagrams/drawings that I have to leave)
 c. The grammatical function of English
intonation
 The listener is better able to recognize the grammar and
syntax structure of what is being said by using the
information contained in the intonation.
 For example such things as
 a- The placement of boundaries between phrases, clauses
and sentences.
 b- The difference between questions and statements.
 d. The discourse function of English
intonation

 Intonation can signal to the listener what is to be taken as

“new” information and what is already “given”. It can
indicate when the speaker is indicating some sort of
contrast or link with material in another tone unit. In
conversation it can convey to the listener what kind of
response is being expected from him.
6. Tone Units
 Ngữ điệu lên Ngữ điệu kết hợp
xuống lên
Ngữ điệu xuống

Ngữ điệu kết hợp lên

xuống
 2.1. Description of tones
The falling tone is one which
descends from a higher The level tone is one in which
to a lower pitch the pitch remains at a
constant level

The rising tone is a movement

from a lower pitch to a
higher one
The fall-rise tone is one in
which the pitch falls and
then rises

The rise-fall tone is one in

which the pitch rises and
then falls
 Description of tones
 The level tone is one in which the pitch remains at a
constant level
 The falling tone is one which descends from a higher
to a lower pitch
 The rising tone is a movement from a lower pitch to a
higher one
 The fall-rise tone is one in which the pitch falls and
then rises
 The rise-fall tone is one in which the pitch rises and
then falls .
 Tone units
 A tone unit is a group of syllables over which a tone
extends. It is also referred to as an ‘intonation group’ or a
‘tone group’.
A TONE GROUP (A TONE UNIT) IS A GROUP OF
WORDS CENTERED AROUND A TONIC SYLLABLE
(NUCLEUS) WHICH CARIES A CHANGE IN PITCH.
THE FIVE PITCH CHANGES IN ENGLISH ARE: FALL;
RISE; FALL- RISE; RISE- FALL AND LEVEL.
• We can identify the change from one tone group to another
by slight pause by the speaker.
• Notice that the beginning and end of the tone group are
indicated by double slashed brackets - //
• Eg: + Do you like apples?
-> //I don’t ‘know//.- one tone group- a tonic syllable (with
falling tone- know)
+ //Is it ‘you?//
+ //You have ‘sold your ‘car?//
 In its smallest form, the tone unit may consist of only
one syllable
 ‘James? ‘Four?
 The syllable which carries the tone in a tone unit is
called the ‘tonic syllable’. (âm tiết điệu tính)
 Tone-unit with more than one syllable
Is it you
 The third syllable
• is more prominent than the other two
• carries a rising tone
• is a tonic syllable
• The other two syllables
• are less prominent
• said on a level pitch
• “is it you” is an utterance of three syllables, consisting
of one tone unit. The only syllable that carries a tone is
“you”.
Watch a video
Structure of tone unit
The pre-head
The head
 Tonic syllable (âm tiết điệu tính)

 is the syllable which carries the tone in a tone-unit

 Each tone-unit has one and only one tonic syllable. This
means that the tonic syllable is an obligatory component of
the tone unit.
The tail
7. The basic English tones/ intonations
 The five basic tones/ intonations
and their uses
1. The falling tone/ The fall/ The falling intonation (The
glide- down) (, )
2. The rising tone
3. The falling-rising tone/ The fall-rise (The dive)
4. The rising- falling tone (ᴧ)
5. The level tone (>)
1- The falling tone/ The fall/ The falling intonation (The
glide- down) ( ` )
❑Falling intonation describes how the voice falls
on the final stressed syllable of a phrase or a
group of words.
❑This is when the pitch of the voice falls at the end
of a sentence. We commonly use them in:
✓statements,
✓commands,
✓WH-questions,
✓confirmatory question tags,
✓and exclamations.
 In statements
✓ Pleased to meet ↓you.
✓ Mom wants to buy that ↓bag.
✓ We should keep ↓going.
 In commands
 Show me the way to the ↓station.
 Take your shoes ↓off.
 Leave them on the ↓desk.
 In WH-questions
 What food do you ↓want?
 Where do you come ↓from?
 Whose book is ↓this?
 In question tags, we use the rules of falling
intonation only when we seek confirmation or
invite agreement.
 He thinks he’s so smart, doesn’t ↓he?
 They didn’t enjoy the party, did ↓they?
 She’s the one you told me about, isn’t ↓she?
 In exclamations
 That’s a perfect ↓gift!
 How nice of ↓you!
 What a beautiful ↓performance!
 2- The rising tone/Intonation

 Rising Intonation: This is when the pitch of the

voice rises at the end of the sentence.
 It is commonly used in:
✓ yes or no questions,
✓question tags that show uncertainty.
 In question tags showing uncertainty
 You’re new here, aren’t ↑you?
 He prefers the beach, doesn’t ↑he?
 The rules were changed, weren’t ↑they?
 In yes or no questions
 Do you like your new ↑shirt?
 May I borrow your ↑book?
 Will she ↑agree?
 3. Rising-Falling Intonation

 Rise-Fall intonation describes how the voice rises

and then falls.
 This is generally used for:
✓ giving out a list,
✓a set of choices,
✓partial and conditional statements.
 In stating a list
 use rising intonation in the first series of items. Then, use
a falling intonation on the last item to indicate that the
list has ended.
 Eg:
✓ She bought some ↑bread, ↑meat, ↑pasta, and ↓apples.
✓ He enjoys outdoor activities such as ↑mountain
climbing, ↑trekking, and ↓camping.
✓ This bag comes in colors of ↑white, ↑gray, ↑black,
and ↓yellow.
 in choices
✓Would you like to have ↑tea or ↓coffee?
✓Is Jane coming ↑today or ↓tomorrow?
✓Did you say ↑east or ↓west?
 in partial statements
 This is when the speaker is hesitant to fully express his
ideas and is unable to finish his statement.
 Eg:
✓ What was the place like? –Well, it ↑seemed ↓nice… (but
it’s too small.)
✓ So did you enjoy the trip? –Hmmm, ↑yes I ↓did… (but it
was too short.)
✓ Do Ethan and Ricky know you? –
Well, ↑Ethan ↓does… (but not Ricky.)
 In conditional statements
 we use the rising intonation in the first clause, then
gradually shift to the falling intonation in the second
clause.
 Eg:
✓ If you have any ↑questions, send me a ↓message.
✓ Ever since you came ↑here, everything’s doing ↓well.
✓ Unless she ↑asks, I’ll stay ↓silent.
4. The falling-rising tone/ The fall-rise (
The dive)
 Fall-rise intonation describes how the
voice falls and then rises.
 This is often used when the speaker is
uncertain of an answer to a question or
shows reluctance.
 We use fall-rise intonation at the end of
statements when we want to say that we are not
sure, or when we may have more to add:
 We use fall-rise intonation with questions,
especially when we request information or invite
somebody to do or to have something. The
intonation pattern makes the questions sound
more polite:
 5. The level tone (>)
 the voice starts and finishes on the same level of
pitch, showing no emotion.
 It can be use in the non- finality or if the statement
is not complete in order to express something the
speaker feel bored, sarcastic or ironic
 Eg: Of >course she could have got a much better
result.
 No, > not really
 Choose the best answer
1. The syllables between the tonic syllable and the end of the tone-unit are
called _____.

A. pre-head B. the head C. the tail D. tonic syllable

2. What is the head of the following tone-unit?

What was the name of the place?

A. What B. name C. place D. the place

3. What is the tonic syllable of the following tone-unit?

Just tell me why.

A. Just B. tell C. me D. why

4. If the ……… content word of an utterance is a repetition of one that has already occurred
in the utterance, the penultimate …….. word takes the tonic.

A. last, content
B. final, grammatical
C. last, grammatical
D. final, content
5. The ………. is composed of all the unstressed syllables in a tone-unit preceding the first
stressed syllable.
A. pre-head B. the head C. the tail D. tonic syllable

6. ………. is the part of a tone-unit that extends from the first stressed syllable up to (but
not including) the tonic syllable.

A. Pre-head B. The head C. The tail D. None is correct

7. In a tone-unit, the syllable which carries a tone is called ………. .
A. primary stress syllable B. secondary stress syllable

C. tonic syllable D. pre-head

 Choose the best answer
1. The syllables between the tonic syllable and the end of the tone-unit are
called _____.

A. pre-head B. the head C. the tail D. tonic syllable

2. What is the head of the following tone-unit?

What was the name of the place?

A. What B. name C. place D. the place

3. What is the tonic syllable of the following tone-unit?

Just tell me why.

A. Just B. tell C. me D. why

4. If the ……… content word of an utterance is a repetition of one that has already occurred
in the utterance, the penultimate …….. word takes the tonic.

A. last, content
B. final, grammatical
C. last, grammatical
D. final, content
5. The ………. is composed of all the unstressed syllables in a tone-unit preceding the first
stressed syllable.
A. pre-head B. the head C. the tail D. tonic syllable

6. ………. is the part of a tone-unit that extends from the first stressed syllable up to (but
not including) the tonic syllable.

A. Pre-head B. The head C. The tail D. None is correct

7. : In a tone-unit, the syllable which carries a tone is called ………. .
A. primary stress syllable B. secondary stress syllable

C. tonic syllable D. pre-head