The English Matters for University Students. Practical and Theoretical Issues. Учебное пособие для студентов 2-3 курсов, обучающихся по направлению 45

Intonation Patterns and Phenomena in the English Language

In Tone group 2 and Tone group 7 the low tones are often combined with the Stepping Head which starts its descending from the upper level. The gap between the high and the low level makes Tone groups 2 and 7 sound more emphatic than Tone groups 1 and 6. The character of Tone group 2 may be characterized in general as serious, confident, firm and categoric (3, c. 90). This tone group is generally used in formal serious, business-like contexts. The structure of Tone group 2 can be often observed in special questions which sound serious or searching. As for the typical attitudes of Tone group 7, most of them can be characterized as benevolent – polite, courteous, obliging, encouraging, eager to support, soothe, comfort and console. This is the intonation kind mothers use to exhort children. The intonation of Tone group 7 is typical of general questions making them sound genuinely interested. It should be mentioned that in Tone groups 2 and 7 the element of the high level may be presented by the High Pre-Head which is used in short sentences lacking the Stepping Head.

Note: Let’s consider the notions “emphatic” and “emotional” (intonation).

They have the common feature: firstly, they both imply the deviation from the neutral sounding; secondly, both emphatic and emotional intonation are intended to affect the listener’s mind and feelings. Taking in account the evident similarity of these two notions, we should mind the difference between them. The word “emotional” is appropriate to characterize situations when the speaker gives free rein to emotions without restraining them and often losing control. When the speaker uses the emphatic manner of speaking he keeps his emotions in check, he sounds expressive without hysterical or openly aggressive colouring. Emphatic intonation sometimes is viewed as a professional feature which can be observed in speech of teachers, actors, politicians etc. Emphatic speech is often specially trained under the guidance of experienced coaches.

Tone group 3 and Tone group 4 are based on High Fall that is why they refer to emotional tone groups. The structural difference between them is not so evident as between Tone groups 1 (has a purely low structure) and 2 (has the elements on the high and on the low level), because High Fall starts on the high level and falls to the lowest level of the voice range, consequently both tone groups contain the elements on all the levels. The main difference is that Tone group 3 is presented in short sentences while Tone group 4 is observed in longer ones containing the stepping head. Due to the structural similarity Tone

101

Intonation Patterns and Phenomena in the English Language

cheering, soothing, supportive), but in combination with the low head Low Rise sounds sarcastic and even sometimes venomous, this intonation pattern is used in

“reserved” conflicts, when the speaker’s intention is to criticize his opponent or express his displeasure and annoyance. Rise-Fall and Fall-Rise are highly emotional tones, they are used when the speaker doesn’t find it necessary to restrain his emotions. Thus Rise Fall can be used in emotional conflicts and express challenge, antagonism and even aggression. Fall Rise can sound very concerned, shocked, hurt, suffering etc. Of course, the list of emotions which can be expressed by English tones is not exhausted. The systemic review of tones, their combinatoric potential (the way they are combined with different parts of the English intonation structure – pre-heads, heads, tails) and “the attitudes they can express in different communicative types of sentences” (statements, questions, commands, exclamations) is presented in the rules about Tone Groups in English (3, c. 83, 90, 96, 98, 100). The choice of tones can be explained through attitudes and Tone Groups mostly in syntactically simple sentences and sometimes in the final intonation groups of compound and complex sentences.

2)The semantic completeness/incompleteness of intonation groups and the presence/absence of the logical connection of a non-final intonation group with the following one. Semantically complete intonation groups tend to take Falling Tones, semantically incomplete parts of phrases which imply continuation usually take Low-Rise or Fall-Rise (in emotional speech). If there is the evident logical connection between the intonation groups (mostly in compound sentences) the non-final part takes a Rising tone.

3)The Phonetic Rules (tendencies of English pronunciation) which are observed in smaller parts of sentences (the adverbial, the direct address, the enumeration, parentheses, the apposition, alternative and disjunctive questions, the author’s words). In some cases the general rule reveals the way the pragmatic situation can affect the choice of tone by the speaker. For example, if the speaker wants to emphasize the elements of enumeration he uses in his speech not the neutral model of enumeration (“Low Rise – Low Rise – Low Fall) but the emphatic one (Low Fall/High Fall – Low Fall”/High Fall – Low Fall/High Fall). If the enumeration is interrupted all its elements take the Rising tone. The direct address is also pronounced differently according to the attitude of the speaker to the person addressed, the speaker’s purpose, his emotional state and the degree of importance of the phrase which follows the direct address

103

PART 2. THE THEORETICAL ISSUES

(Low Fall – in a serious or strict address, Low Rise – in a friendly address, Fall Rise – to attract the interlocutor’s attention or in loud exclamatory addresses,

High Fall – in serious dramatic addresses, mostly to demonstrate that the information following the address is urgent or very important).

4)The Intonation Style. This notion implies “the system of interrelated intonational means which are used in a certain sphere and serves a definite aim of communication” (2, c. 59). The traditionally distingui shed styles of pronunciation are: 1) formal (official), 2) academic (scientific), 3) declamatory

(stage/scenic speech), 4) publicistic, 5) familiar (informal, colloquial). It’s quite natural that the choice of tones and intonation patterns is different for different styles. The familiar style provides the absolute freedom in using tones while the formal and academic style have some restrictions (for example, highly emotional tones do not sound adequate in the frames of these styles). One and the same phrase naturally takes different tones in different styles: for example, the gratitude “Thank you” sounds formally polite when pronounced with Low Rise in the official style; the same phrase has the warm and cordial colouring when said with Low Fall in the familiar style.

5)One of the phonetic theories is based on the scholars’ observation that the choice of tones depends on the quality of information: whether it is new or old. Thus new information is typically rendered through falling tones, while old information is mostly expressed by rising tones. By “old information” different kinds of repetition are meant including the synonymical repetition and paraphrasing: – In the theatre we met Tom. – Tom? (High Rise, sounds echoing); I want to invite Simon and Jacob, my colleagues. – You want to invite these sla ckers! (Fall Rise, sounds reproachful).

104

СПИСОК ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ

10.Gordon A. The Day at the Beach [Текст] / A. Gordon // Discovering Fiction: A Reader of American Short Stories. Edited by Judith Kay and Rosemary Gelshenen. – Cambridge, United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press. – 2001. – 215 p. – C. 165–171.

11.doclecture.net [Электрон. ресурс]. – URL: https://doclecture.net/1-50589.html

(дата обращения: 18.08.2021).

12.Do we live to eat? [Электрон. ресурс] // lektsii.com. – URL: https://lektsii- com.turbopages.org/turbo/lektsii.com/s/2-105054.html (дата обращения: 18.08.2021).

13.Evans, V. Enterprise 2. [Текст]: Coursebook. Elementary / V. Evans, J. Dooley. – New Greenham Park, Newbury: Published by Express Publishing. Liberty House, 2000. – 136 c.

14.Hikikomori [Электрон. ресурс] // Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. – URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori (дата обращения: 18.08.2021).

15.Maugam, S. Theatre [Текст] / S. Maugam. – Mосква: Издательство «Ме-

неджер», 2000. – 304 с.

16.Online Shopping [Электрон. ресурс] // Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. – URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_shopping (дата обращения: 18.08.2021).

17.Part-time Jobs vs. Holiday Jobs [Электрон. ресурс] // StudFiles. – URL: https://studfile.net/preview/9708024/page:25/ (дата обращения: 18.08.2021).

18.StudFiles [Электрон. ресурс]. – URL: https://studfile.net/preview/1811782/ page:11/ (дата обращения: 18.08.2021).

19.What is a Healthy Lifestyle? [Электрон. ресурс] // Healthy Lifestyles Living. – URL: https://healthylifestylesliving.com (дата обращения: 18.08.2021).

20.Wodehouse P. G. Monkey Business [Электрон. ресурс]. – URL: http://ssmith.wodehouse.ru/monkeybz.html (дата обращения: 18.08.2021).

21.Wodehouse P. G. The Juice of an Orange [Электрон. ресурс]. – URL: https://mybiblioteka.su/tom3/7-66203.html (дата обращения: 18.08.2021).

106

Учебное издание

Манжелеевская Елена Вячеславовна

THE ENGLISH MATTERS

FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS:

PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL ISSUES

Компьютерная верстка М. Н. Гудко

Подписано в печать 25.10.2021 г.

Бумага офсетная. Формат 60×84 1/16. Тираж 30 экз. Усл. печ. лист. 6,23. Уч. изд. л. 5,3. Заказ № 8199.

Издательство Южного федерального университета.

Отпечатано в отделе полиграфической, корпоративной и сувенирной продукции Издательско полиграфического комплекса КИБИ МЕДИА ЦЕНТРА ЮФУ.

344090, г. Ростов на Дону, пр. Стачки, 200/1, тел (863) 243 41 66.

107