20. Final Parentheses

Parentheses at the end of an utterance serve to summarize or add some details to the speaker's main remark.They do not, as a rule, form an intonation-group of their own and are pronounced as unstressed or partially stressed pos t nuclear syllables (tail).

I'm not good at languages, you know.

Peter and his wife know him, of course.

Additional prominence is achieved when parentheses in final position are said as part of the nucleus of a falling-rising tune (divided):

Your hotel was near the station, I hope.

Parentheses in the middle of an utterance

Parentheses inserted in the middle of the principal remark usually convey a side-thought, which the speaker wishes to communicate at once without waiting until he has finished his utterance. Parentheses are commonly inserted between two intonation-groups, in which case these intonation-groups remain unchanged while the parenthesis forms an intonation group of its own and is pronounced on a lower-pitch and at a quicker tempo than the main remark

Her Mum and Dad, as , far as I know, had planned to send her to University.

A parenthesis_may join the first intonation-group as a tail or as part of the nucleus:

This ,variant, at least, can be accepted.

21. Initial Reporting Phrases

Initial Reporting phrases generally form n separate intonation-group. The most frequent nuclear tone of this groups in conversation is Mid Level: the nuclear syllable is pronounced on steady [unmoving] pitch about the middle of the voicerange

and is prolonged in its duration as compared with a prenuclear syllable carrying a static tone. It shows that the intonation-group is semantically incomplete and leads on to the more important part of the utterance. There is usually a short pause between the Reporting phrase and the beginning of the Quoted speech and the first fully stressed syllable of the latter is said on a rather higher pitch than the nucleus of the Reporting phrase. This serves to give the necessary prominence to the Quoted speech:

'Anthony > answered: \ "I've been 'looking for a 'man like _vyou".

In reading aloud the most common pattern for initial Reporting phrases is the L o w Rise. Like the Mid-Level tone it shows that the Reporting phrase is semantically incomplete without the following Quoted speech. At the same time the division of the utterance into two intonation-groups and the pause between them are more distinct, which is often desirable in reading aloud and unnecessary in conversation:

Fall-Rise Divided is used instead of the Low Rise when the Reporting phrase contains a word contrasted in meaning with another word (in the given context):

The 'younger 'boy said: \ "The 'film is boring".

The older one objected: \ "Why, \ I've enjoyed it".

The Falling nuclear tone (High or Low) can be used on a Reporting phrase when it is semantically and grammatically complete in itself and requires greater prominence. This situation may occur in reading aloud but hardly at all in real conversation:

His 'cousin repeated his question: \ "'Who told you that?"

22 Final Reporting Phrases

In the final position the Reporting phrase usually forms the tail of the tune of the Quoted speech. Its pitch-pattern, therefore, is determined by the nuclear tone of the Quoted speech. After Rising and Falling-Rising nuclear tones the Reporting phrase is rising, and it is pronounced on a low pitch after a Falling tone:

"'Are you in a hurry?" she 'asks.

“If you like”, says he.

“What is it?” I asked.

The Reporting phrase may form part of an expanded nucleus of a Fall-Rise Divided Tune. The important word of the Reporting phrase then carries the rise of the Falling-Rising tone. This intonation pattern is commonly used to express contrast:

"I have 'seven English stamps", says ,Nick.

"I have 'more than you", says Alec.

When the final Reporting phrase is long, it may form a separate into nation-group similar in its nuclear tone to the pattern of the Quoted speech but lower in pitch:

"'Must I' stick it on myself? " asked a lady, |who bought a |postage stamp. "No, madam", replied the ,counter-clerk, | "it's 'much 'better to 'stick it on the envelope".