Intonation of questions

1) General questions

1. General questions are most common with the low rising tone preceded by the Falling Head or the High (Medium) Level Head. With these patterns they sound genuinely interested,

eg: Does he ever come to _↗London? (F.H.) May I _↗try? (H.L.H.)

2. When general questions are said with the Low Fall they are put forward as a serious suggestion or a subject for urgent discussion,

eg: Shall we post_↘pone it? (H.L.H.) Haven’t you noticed the mis_↘take? (F.H.)

3. In short questions used as responses like ‘Did you?’, ‘Has she?’ the Low Fall is used,

eg: I went to the theatre last night. – _↘Did you?

He hasn’t been invited. – _↘Hasn’t he?

2) Special questions

1. Special questions are most commonly used with the low falling tone on the last stressed syllable preceded by the Falling Head or the High (Medium) Level Head. In these cases they sound serious, searching and business-like,

eg: Why did you decide to do _↘that? (F.H.) What’s the _↘matter? (H.L.H.)

2. If one wants to show much interest in the other person or in the subject and sound friendly and sympathetic he pronounces special questions with the low rising tone preceded by the Falling Head or the High (Medium) Level Head,

eg: Where do you live _↗now? (F.H.) What’s your _↗name? (H.L.H.)

3. For repeated or echoing special questions in unemphatic usage the low rising tone on the question word is also common,

eg: I went with _↘Jack. – _↗Who did you _go with?

It took me two ↘hours. – ↗How long?

3) Disjunctive questions

Disjunctive questions being simple sentences consist of at least two sense-groups represented by a statement (affirmative or negative) and a tag question (negative or affirmative), corresponding to two intonation groups. The choice of tones in disjunctive questions depends on the speaker’s certainty of the facts expressed in the first sense-group.

1. The most common pattern for a disjunctive question is the Low Fall in the first intonation group (a statement) followed by the Low Rise in the tag question,

eg: It is quite _↘simple, | _↗isn’t it?

The pattern with the Low Rise of the tag question implies a mixture of positiveness and doubt. The Low Fall in the second intonation group shows that the speaker demands agreement from the listener, eg: He is a _↘clever man, | _↘isn’t he?

In conversational English these tags have lost their questioning function and are often used formally. In these cases they are pronounced with a very short pause and require no answer: Lovely _↘day, | _↘isn’t it.

2. In some cases the first intonation group can be pronounced with the Low Rise or the Fall-Rise. When the first intonation group ends with the Low Rise the Low Fall in the second intonation group appeals for confirmation or support. The Low Fall in the tag is often used in talking to a child.

4) Alternative questions

An alternative question indicating choice between two homogeneous parts is usually represented by two intonation groups. The most usual way of pronouncing alternative questions is to use the Low Rise in the first intonation group and the Low Fall in the second one, eg: Do you have a _↗son | or a _↘daughter?

The final Low Fall in this type of question shows that the choice should be made of the two items expressed.

There may be a choice of three or more alternatives. In this case the intonation groups preceding the final one are pronounced with the Low Rise as they may be treated as items of enumeration. The final intonation group has the Low Fall,

eg: Would you like _↗milk, | _↗tea | or _↘coffee?