16. The definition of intonation. Components of intonation.

Intonation is an indispensable component of communication because it is instrumental in conveying meaning. No sentence can exist without a particular intonation. No meaning can be expressed without it.

It is generally acknowledged that intonation is a language universal.

In Russian linguistics intonation is viewed as a complex structure, a whole, formed by significant variations in pitch, loudness and tempo. Some linguists include voice quality (timbre). British and American phoneticians often have a narrower view of intonation. They restrict it to pitch (tone) changes only.

Intonation – prosody.

Components of intonation

Each component of intonation has its own acoustic correlate, which can be objectively measured:

• PITCH (fundamental frequency of the vibrations of the vocal cords) -a system of tones (fall, rise, fall-rise and so on), -pitch levels (keys), which can be high, medium and low, -pitch ranges (wide, medium and narrow). (the interval between two pitch levels)

• LOUDNESS (intensity) -normal -increased( forte) -low (piano)

• TEMPO (the rate of speech and pausation, the acoustic correlate here is the time (duration), or length of utterance.)

Each component of intonation is linguistically relevant and can be described as a system.

The rate of speech can be normal, slow and fast.

A pause is a complete stop of phonation. Pauses are classified according to their length, their position in the utterance (final – non-final) and their function.

Functionally, there may be distinguished syntactic, emphatic and hesitation pauses.

Syntactic pauses separate phonopassages, phrases, intonation groups. Emphatic pauses serve to make some parts of the utterance especially prominent. Hesitation pauses are mainly used in spontaneous speech to gain some time to think over what to say next. They may be silent (unfilled) or filled.

All the three components of intonation, pitch, loudness and tempo form the intonation pattern, the basic unit of intonation.

The components of intonation pattern are: the nucleus, the head, the tail and the pre-head. The nuclear tone is the most important component of the intonation pattern, because the intonation pattern can’t exist without the nuclear tone. The nuclear tone is the most significant change in pitch. It also has the greatest semantic value.

The function of the intonation pattern is to actualize syntagms into intonation groups.

17.Intonation pattern and its components

Intonation – is a complex structure, a whole, formed by significant variations in pitch, loudness and tempo.

All 3 components of intonation (pitch, loudness and tempo) form the intonation pattern.

Intonation pattern- is the basic unit of intonation.

An intonation pattern has 1 nucleus and may contain (не обязательно. Может быть 1 нюклеус например «Sure»- low fall) other stressed or unstressed syllables preceding or following the nuclear tone.

The boundaries of an intonation pattern may be marked by temporal pauses (stops of phonation).

The function of the intonation pattern is to actualize syntagms into intonation groups (actualized syntagms in speech. Syntagms – is a group of words which is semantically and syntactically complete)

!! Понимать разницу между инт. пэттэрн и инт. групп. Петтерн- это просто мелодия, например High Head+Low rise (ПА ПА ПА па). А инт. групп – это уже синтагмы в рамках этой пэттэрн реализованные в устной речи.

Each intonation group may consist of 1 or more potential syntagms: I think// he is coming soon. (2 синтагмы; в устной речи – 1 инт. групп.)

The intonation pattern may include the following components: the nuclear tone (the nucleus), the head, the pre-head and the tail.

The nucleus – is the syllable that has a greater prominence than the others.

The nucleus may be described as a syllable which is marked be a significant change in pitch direction, i.e. where the pitch goes up or down.

!! It is the most important part of the intonation pattern. The intonation pattern doesn’t exist without nucleus. (The inton. pattern may consist of 1 syllable, which will be its nucleus)

Pitch of the rest of the intonation pattern following it is called tail. Thus after a falling tone the rest of the intonation pattern is at a low pitch. After a rising tone the rest of the intonation pattern in an upward pitch direction.

The nucleus+ the tail form the terminal tone.

The Head + The Pre-head form the pre-nuclear part of the intonation pattern.

The head contains the syllables beginning with the first stressed syllable up to, but not including, the nucleus.

The Pre-head consists of unstressed or half-stressed syllables preceding the head.

The head, the pre-head and the tail – are optional elements of the intonation pattern.

(+ можно добавить примеры свои примеры и показать где тэйл, где хэд, где при хэд интонационной группы)