24. Basic intonation patterns

25. The Nucleus. Types of Nuclei.

The last stressed syllable of the intonation pattern on which the pitch movement changes is called nucleus. There are 8 types of nucleus tones in English: 1) The Low (Medium) Fall – the voice falls during the stressed syllable from a medium to a very low pitch level; it gives a filling of finality and definiteness. If it is one word it conveys a cool, phlegmatic, reserved, calm, possibly unsympathetic attitude, very formal: ˎNo. 2) The High Fall – the speaker is surprised, protesting or happy, light, exited: ˋNo. 3) The Rise – Fall – it sounds impressed, awed, self-satisfied, challenging: ˰No. 4) The Low Rise – it gives a filling of non-finality, incompleteness, lack of interest. It also sounds friendly and encouraging: ˏNo. 5) The High (Medium) Rise – it is used in repeated or echo-questions and express a light surprise or indifference: ˊNo. 6) The Fall-Rise – it sounds contradicting, reproachful, sometimes apologetic or pleading, insistent, urgently warning: ̬No. 7) The Rise-Fall-Rise – All feelings of point 6 are used but more emphatically: ̰No. 8) The Mid-level – the voice neither rises nor falls. It is often used in poetry with the impression of calling someone at the distance: >No.

26. The Tail. The Pre-Head

The syllables following the nucleus are called the tail. The tail can be unstressed or partially stressed. After a following nucleus the tail remains low: ˎNo, sir. After the rising nucleus the tail is one step higher then the nucleus: ˏNo, sir. If there are many syllables in the tail each one stressed syllable is one step higher then the previous one: ˏYes, my dear lady. Fall-rise may occur on unstressed syllables then there is no tail: ˎYes, Tom. After the Mid-level the tail stays on the same step as the nucleus: >Certainly

27. The Head. Descending Heads

Head patterns are classified into three major groups: descending, ascending, level. The descending heads move the voice from a medium or high pitch level down voice. The first stressed syllable is the highest. There exist the following types of descending heads: a) The stepping head – the syllables in it move down by steps. Unstressed syllables are pronounced on the same level as the preceding stressed syllable: He ˈdoesn’t ˈseem to ˈlike me at ˎall. b) The falling head has the unstressed syllable level then the stressed one. c) The Scandent head has the unstressed syllable pronounced higher then the stressed ones. d) Sliding head has the voice moving down by slides. The unstressed syllables continue the fall. Accidental Rises can break the intonation group pitch level then the preceding one: You’d ˈget to ˈknow ˈquite a ↑ˈlot of ˈinteresting ˎpeople.

28. The Head. Ascending Heads, Level heads.

The first stressed syllable of ascending heads is low in the pitch, each following stressed syllable being higher then the preceding one; thus the stressed syllables form an ascending sequence. a) if the voice moves up by steps and the intervening unstressed or partially stressed syllables continue the rise and head is called rising: I ↑don’t ˈwant to ˈgo to the ˋcinema. b) if the voice moves up by slides the head is called climbing; unstressed or partially stressed syllables glide up too: I ↑don’t ↑want to ↑go to the ˋcinema. The ascending heads are usually associated with the High (Medium) Fall or the High (Medium) Rise. In Level heads all the syllables are pronounced on more or less the same note of a pitch level. a) if they happen to be on a high level the head is called the High Level Head: I→ don’t ˈwant to ˈgo to the ˎcinema. This head usually occurs before the high-falling, high-rising and rising-falling nuclear tones. The most frequently used type of the High Level Head is the head wing one strongly stressed syllable and unstressed or partially stressed syllables pronounced on the same high level. It is usually called the High Head: I →didn’t ˎknow it. b) if the pre-nuclear stressed or partially stressed syllables are pronounced on the medium pitch level the head is called medium level: I →don’t ˈwant to ˈgo to the ˎcinema. This head can occur before any nuclear tone, but it is very common before the mid-level nucleus. c) Pre-nuclear stressed syllables pronounced on the low pitch level constitute the Low Level Head: I ͢ don’t ˈwant to ˈgo to the ˎcinema. The Low Level Head generally occurs before the Low Rise and Low Fall.