новая папка / The phonetic structure of an intonation group

8. The phonetic structure of an intonation group.

**Four structural components are distinguished in an intonation group:** the pre-head, the scale, the nucleus and the tail.

**The pre-head** is the initial unaccented syllables of an intonation group preceding the first accented syllable.

**The scale** is the part of an intonation group that begins with the first accented syllable (the head) and ends with the syllable immediately preceding the nucleus.

**The nucleus** is the last accented syllable of an intonation group. It is the most important component: it is always present in an intonation group being its communicative centre.

**The tail** is the final unaccented syllables following the nucleus.