Subordination

1. However widely spread, RE (Restricted English) is certainly not acceptable as far as the anglicist is con­cerned.

2. Before we go any further, we must explain why we ex­cerpted Jane Austen in preference to one of the modern writers of fiction.

In connection with the prosodic expression for a comma quite a number of different questions are bound to arise. First, what is a mid-falling tone and how do we actually realize it in our speech? Isn’t the

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term “a low-falling tone of non-final variety” more helpful? What is the difference between a high-rising tone and a low-rising one?

Let us begin with the last question, because it seems to be a less complicated one. A low-rising tone, according to A.C. Gim-son,⁴³ is associated with non-finality and is quite often used in statements to express it. With high rise, however, things are com­pletely different. To quote A.C.Gimson, “it is essentially associ­ated with questions”.⁴⁴ So, as far as rises are concerned, every­thing is more or less clear: we should choose a low rise to express subordination within the sentence.

With falling tones the situation is much more difficult. Here we have not a dichotomy, but a trichotomy: a low falling tone, a mid-falling tone and a high-falling tone:

high

mid \ Falling Tones

low

If we consider a high falling tone and a low falling tone, the difference between them is quite obvious. If it is a low fall, we begin in the middle of our diapason and then fall to the bottom of it. If it is a high fall, then it is above the middle section of the diapason, but it never begins at the very top. Here the difference in the interval is most important and is quite sufficient to keep these two tones distinctly apart.

Moreover, there is another complication. There is a slight dif­ference in loudness. In the case of a low fall it would be dimin­ished, and in the case of a high fall it would be slightly increased. So there is a clear-cut opposition of the two main falling tones and it is very clearly expressed prosodically. Theoretically speak­ing, there may be mid-falling tones, but it can be argued that they could really be functionally loaded in the same way as low falls and high falls.

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It follows that when we use the term “a low fall of non-final variety”, it is more suitable and more helpful in our case. It means that it is the same low fall (in principle), but with certain modifica­tions. First of all, the loudness will not be so abruptly diminished as in the case of the low fall of final variety. Secondly, resonants and fricatives at the end of the word immediately preceding the comma of co-ordination, are protracted, prolonged, for instance:

1. Without this his (a philologist’s) knowledge of the language will always be superficial, he will never be able to appreci­ate what he is reading or listening to.

2. He (a philologist) will know nothing about the proper choice of words he will never acquire the ability to find the right word and use it to the best advantage.

So, in co-ordination, it is a question of a new relationship between prosody and pronunciation on the level of segmental phonetics. In other words, here we observe the dialectics of the segmental and suprasegmental levels.