Prof. Oriana Gutiérrez.
Departamento de Idiomas UNEFM
Phonetics II Unit III: Intonation
Intonation:
Let’s consider the following example:
Question:
What is the difference in the way the following
two sentences sound?
a. He is going tomorrow.
b. He is going tomorrow?
Intonation:
We have all said at least once:
“it’s not what they said, but the way they said it”
“The way they said it” is an approximation to the concept of
intonation:
Intonation is the way your voice goes up and down when
speaking.
Key components of intonation:
Intonation is based on several key components:
Pitch: is the degree of height of our voice in speech. Normal speaking
pitch is at midlevel.
The use of different patterns of pitch that carry meaningful
information helps creating intonation and the “musicality” of speech.
Variations in how high or low pitch is (measured in Hz), can tell
you personal characteristics of the speaker, such as age, gender
or their emotional state, i.e., The pitch of a child is higher than that of
an adult.
In speaking, pitch can be used for informational contrast.
E.g. Where are the keys?
Key components of intonation:
Intonation is based on several key components:
Sentence stress: makes the utterance understandable to the
listener by making the important words in the sentence
stressed, clear and higher in pitch, and by shortening and
obscuring the unstressed words.
Key components of intonation:
Intonation is based on several key components:
Rhythm: is the speed and modulation in how a sentence is
said.
I.e., some beginner students might say - each - word - in - a -
sentence - at - the - same - speed and sound a little like a robot.
Learning when to when to slow down or speed up is what can give
your spoken English a native-like quality.
Functions of intonation:
Attitudinal functions: expresses the speaker’s attitudes and
emotions to the topic or as a response to the listener’s
statement.
Accentual functions: distinguishes between old and new
information in an utterance, and directs the listener’s attention
to the relevant points of the message (this can be provided by
sentence stress).
Functions of intonation:
Grammatical functions: identifies grammatical structures in
speech (similar to punctuation in writing). The listener is better
able to recognize the grammar and syntax structure of what is
being said.
A pause in the wrong moment might cause confusion, the same
way wrong punctuation might cause misunderstanding a text.
Discourse functions: signals the way sequences of utterances
build up spoken discourse and allows to identify introductions,
development of ideas (narrations, agumentations, descriptions…)
and conclusions.
It also resembles the division of written text into sentences and
paragraphs)
Types of intonation:
The two basic types are falling intonation and
rising intonation.
Types of intonation:
Falling intonation: happens when we lower our voice at
the end of a sentence, usually in statements and in
questions that contain words like where, when, what, why,
how, and who (these are called information questions).
Types of intonation:
Rising intonation is the one speakers make when rising the
pitch of their voice at the end of a sentence. This intonation
is used in yes/no questions.
It also includes expressions like:
- Excuse me?
- Really?
- Seriously?
- Tag questions that ask for
information.
Types of intonation:
Non-final intonation: the pitch rises and falls within the sentence.
This type of intonation is used with unfinished thoughts,
introductory phrases, series of words and also when we express
choices.
It includes:
- Unfinished thoughts: ….and uh… I’m not quite sure if I remember
- Introductory Phrases: Maybe this is something you all know
about…
- Series of Words: I studied, napped, cleaned up, picked up dinner…
- Expressing choices: we could go to the movies, have coffee or ice
cream…
Types of intonation:
Wavering intonation is used when we express emotions or
attitudes within a word. You can express nervousness,
surprise, anger, hesitation, fear, uncertainty, amazement,
among others.
It might make the speaker seem less sure of themselves
since your voice shakes or cracks.
It’s the opposite of a steady, confident tone.
Let’s say for example:
- Really.
- Really?
The power of intonation:
An MIT linguistics professor was lecturing his class the
other day. "In English," he said, "a double negative forms
a positive. However, in some languages, such as Russian,
a double negative remains a negative. But there isn't a
single language, not one, in which a double positive can
express a negative.“
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."
