I. Identify the type of the pitch-change in the following utterances. Note that the realization of the pitch-change in a tune with a 'tail' is different from that in a tune without a 'tail'.

,No. /Right. /Sometimes. 'Really? Of course. You're /welcome. Thank you. ,Fair enough. 'When is he flying? I'm /sure he wouldn't. For a /week already.

II. Listen to the following pairs of utterances.

a) note that the rising tones in each pair differ both in the initial and ending pitch points. Identify the type of the rise in each utterance:

1. ЛМо. 2. ,Sometimes. 3. Must I 'change? 4. Will 'Friday do?

'Where? 'Market Street. /Right. ,Fair enough.

1. 'How did he 'find 'out? 'What is his 'name?

b) note that either the beginning or the ending of the pitch-levels of the rising tones coincide whereas the interval is different. Identify the type of the rise in each utterance:

2. Can I 'help you? And to 'follow?

3. Of ^ourse.

You are /Welcome.

4. If you ,like. I'm ,going to.

III. Listen to the same rising tunes in conversational contexts. State which of the unes a) are used mterrogatively; b) convey the speaker's casual attitude and c) express a warm and friendly reaction.

1. - Have you ever heard about Max? - ,No. - Where are you staying? - 'Where?

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NON-SEGMENTAL PHONETICS

Unit 2. Falling-Rising and Rising-Falling Tones in English

Explanation

A. FALLING-RISING TONES

The falling-rising tone (the Fall-Rise) is a bi-directional tone which means that there is a change in the direction of the pitch movement associated with one stressed syllable.

The fall and the rise may be combined within one syllable, the pitch-change begin­ning about the mid-high level (or slightly above or below it) and ending about the mid-low level, with an intermediate low pitch point which is a boundary between the two elements of the glide.

^ beginning point

^vFine. \ у ending point

intermediate point

Perfectly.

However, when the nuclear syllable is not the last syllable of an intonation-group (or rhythmic group), the Fall-Rise is split in form, the fall being carried by the nucleus and the rise - by the tail (compare with a similar role of the tail in the realization of the rising tones).

It should be noted that the first element of the Fall-Rise - the fall - is phonetically more prominent than the second. The beginning and ending points of the Fall-Rise are not on the same level, and this relation is stable regardless of the pitch height of the beginning of the glide.

According to the latter feature it is useful to distinguish between high and low varieties of the falling-rising tone.

^{Sometimes. д . vSometimes.}

It is clear that there can be further gradations depending on the intervals of the fall and the rise which can be widened or narrowed.

From the semantic point of view the falling-rising tone has an implicatoiy meaning: utterances with this nuclear tone give the impression that the speaker intends the hearer to understand more than the words themselves convey. The implication expressed in an utterance may be that of emphasis, contrast, contradiction, correction, hesitation, doubt, uncertainty, warning, apology, etc. In each case the exact implication is prompted by the context.

NON-SEGMENTAL PHONETICS

He is crazy about computer games, isn't he? - Well, he ^vused to, | but it's all changed now. (contradiction)

Just beyond the coffee-room was the post-room. And ^vArthur's 'room ^ was about 3 doors along, (emphasis)

Is the shoe-shop opposite the bank? - I ^vthink so, | but I'm not quite sure, (uncertaity)

I'd like to have a word with you. - I'm 'rather ^vbusy ^ just at _vpresent. (apology)

The falling-rising tone has an important modification: the so-called Fall-Rise Divided. The two elements of the Fall-Rise in this case are realized on two different words, which both acquire nuclear prominence.

^xNot ,quite.

^ ^ It Moesn't ,really /matter. ^

A sequence of two kinetic pitch-changes can be taken as one formal and functional unit, because, firstly, there is no perceptible break (pause) associated with an intonation-group boundary between them, and, secondly, because the syllables between the falling and the rising movements (if there are any) are all said on the same low pitch and display close rhythmic linking. The Fall-Rise Divided thus allows a larger stretch of utterance to fall under the semantic range of the nucleus.

It must be emphasized that functionally the divided variant of the Fall-Rise is very similar to the undivided falling-rising tone: it also imparts an implicatoiy meaning to the utterance.

Are you upset about it? - ⁴Not ^vrcally. Are you upset about it? - ^NNot /really.

It is clear from these two examples that the difference between the variants lies in the number of prominent ideas: the Fall-Rise Divided makes two ideas prominent instead of one.

B. RISING-FALLING TONES

The rising-falling tone is a bidirectional, or complex, tone (like the Fall-Rise), because it comprises two elements - a rise and a fall - which can be combined within one syllable: the voice first rises from a fairly low (or mid) to a high pitch and then quickly falls to the bottom of the voice-range.

^/4Nice.

_Л

However, the rising-falling glide may be distributed between two or even three syllables. According to the number of syllables involved in the pitch change three structural modifications (types) of the nuclear rising-falling tone are distinguished: one-syllable type, two-syllable type, three-syllable type.

BASIC NUCLEAR TONES

147

An essential common feature of these variants is that they are associated with one stressed syllable, yet the unstressed syllables involved in the glide (two for the three-syllable type and one for the two-syllable type) also belong to the nucleus which in that case is expanded.

Three-syllable type. It's natural that this type of the rising-falling tone may occur only when the last stressed (nuclear) syllable of an utterance is followed by no less than two unstressed syllables. The stressed syllable is uttered on a steady mid-low pitch while the first of the unstressed syllables is pitched high and the second is pitched at the bottom of the normal voice-range.

I'm ^Asure I can.

The effect of a rise - the first element of the complex rising-falling movement - is thus conveyed by the 'jump' in the pitch-level from the first (stressed) to the second (unstressed) syllable. The effect of a fall - the second element of the rising-falling movement - is suggested by the contrast between the pitch-level of the second and the third syllables (both unstressed).

When the syllable bearing nuclear stress is followed by more than two unstressed or partially stressed syllables, the nuclear tone still embraces only three syllables and the remaining syllables form the tail and are pronounced on a low pitch level. The beginning of the tail is marked in the text with a low pitch-mark (_) or, if the syllable happens to be partially stressed, with a low stress-mark (,).

9. What do ^Ayou think of _it?

10. What ^Aelse could I ,do?

Two-syllable type. In this type the Rise-Fall is spread over two syllables, the first of which is stressed and pronounced on a steady mid-low pitch, ... while the second starts at a high or mid-high level and falls without stress to the bottom of the voice-range.

L

ike in the three-syllable type the effect of a rise (the first element of the given tone) is produced by the pitch contrast between the first (stressed) and the second (unstressed) syllable, but in the two-syllable type it is only the beginning point of the second syllable which is in contrast with the first, since the second syllable carries the fall (the second element of the tone) and ends at a low pitch-level.

This type of the rising-falling tone occurs when the nuclear syllable is followed by no less than one unstressed syllable. If there are more than one, the nuclear pitch change still embraces only two syllables (the stressed syllable and the immediately following unstressed one), the remaining unstressed and partially stressed syllables forming the tail. The beginning of the tail is marked, as in the case of the three-syllable type, by a low pitch mark or a low stress mark for a partially stressed syllable.

*

148

5,

sis

m

*

is

m

NON-SEGMENTAl PHONETICS

11. What do ^луои think _of it?

12. Why, I'd ^Anever /thought he would.

One-syllable type. In this type the entire Rise-Fall is concentrated on one syllable Lrhich carries both the rise and the fall.

e

n the syllable bearing the nuclear stress mark is followed by any unstressed or -stressed syllables, the fact that the nucleus is of one-syllable type must be indicated narking the syllable immediately following the nuclear one with a low pitch mark i or, if the syllable happens to be partially stressed, with a low stress mark (,).

They ^Aall _want one. What do ^Ayou ,think of it?

difference between the three structural variants is not confined to the form of the :g-falling nuclear tone. There is a certain functional difference, as well: the ■ sssed syllables involved in the rising-falling movement get their share of semantic ninence, if these are separate words, or, when we deal with a polysyllabic nuclear i the prominence, of this word seems to be increased by spreading the segmental : of the pitch change.

H

low should ^AI know it?

ow should ^AI know it?

is why the unstressed syllables involved in the Rise-Fall are integral parts of the Bus and must not be considered to be part of the tail which will consist of any :er unstressed or partially stressed syllables.

be second element of the rising-falling tone - the fall - is phonetically more linent than the first element - the rise: the interval of the fall is wider than that e rise. The falling element is also more important functionally. The rising-falling can be used in most utterances for which a falling tone would be fundamentally ble: it has all the defmiteness and finality of a falling tone, but the substitution Id add more expression to the utterance and change the feeling of it, giving the ersation a much more lively and emotional style. The rising-falling nuclear tone can be compared with the falling-rising nuclear tone in form and in function. The complex nature of their form leads to a specific onal characteristic, which might be called implicatory. The implications of the tones, however, are of a different kind: in the Fall-Rise it is basically a continuation Ihe information already contained in the utterance, it is, so-to-speak, lexically

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N.C.EAR TONES

■•■ммяямаа 149

predictable. In the Rise-Fall the implication is basically of a modal-attitudinal kind: the Rise-Fall often gives the impression that what the speaker admits or denies is in conflict with his own or his interlocutor's previous opinion. That is why it is sometimes called aqu izz ica 1 tone.

Ear-Training

(part I)

I. Practise the following utterances. Identify the type of the pitch-change. Note that its realization is different in monosyllabic and polysyllabic utterances. Notice also that the end of the rise is lower than the starting point of the fall.

^4/No. ^vRight. ^vFine. ^vPractically. ^vAnn did. ^vGeorge, you 'mean. I ^vthink so. Well, be ^vcareful with it. You are ^vlucky. By ^vTuesday. They ^vhope it will. It's the ^vbest one. It's ^veasy.

II. Identify the kinetic tone in the following utterances. Note the similarity of the pitch-level of the tail in rising and falling-rising tunes.

'Haven't they? ^vWe were in time. 'Will they be? ^vWait for them. Can /I "start? I'd ^vlove to. 'This time? ^vAlways? Will you /tell me? They are ^vsixty.

III. Practise the falling-rising tunes observing the difference in the beginning points of the High and Low Fall-Rise.

_vHardly. ^vSometimes. Fan^vtastic. With _vpleasure. I _vdoubt it. By _vMonday. I'd ^vlove to. ^vThirty at most. ^vAlice, you 'mean. You are _vlucky.

IV. From the following group of falling-rising tunes pick out those in which the fall and the rise are split and carried by two different words (Fall-Rise Divided). Pronounce these utterances observing the low pitch of the syllables between the fall and the rise.

^NSo /Sorry. It was ^vmarvellous. He ^vdidn't. Her complexion is /lovely. Be ^vquick, then. On Hhis line, /please. You are ^Nbound to enjoy it. It Moesn't /matter. _lWell, be ^vcareful with it. ^xThat's not a ,bad i/dea.

V. Listen to these groups of utterances and compare the speaker's attitude conveyed in the reactions. State which of the utterances sound a) implicatory; b) straightforward; c) interrogative.

1. Where is your sister now? - At the ^Ncollege.

Let's meet again and talk it over. - At the 'college? She studies at the University. - At the ^vcollege.

2. She's coming back on Saturday. - On ^vFriday.

She's coming back at the end of the week. - On 'Friday? When is she planning to be back? - On ⁴Friday.

NON-SEGMENTAL PHONETICS