Фоностилистика английского языка. Учебное пособие на модульной основе

Tony: I don‘t ˇthink so, ˇno. I knew ˇSarah. I reˈmember „she was in

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a ˇMary.

Sue: >Well, „she must have „been after you „left, ˌthen.

So I say to Claire ‗Where‘s David, Claire?‘ and she says ‗Oh, he‘s staying at home to do his homework,‘ and of course I thought ‗Oh no, he‘s not!‘ Because I saw him, you see, going into the café with Lorraine and I said, ‗Hi, David!‘ and he went completely red, and Lorraine said, ‗We‘re doing school project together,‘ and I thought, ‗Oh, yes, I know what kind of project that is!‘

***

A:I said to Terry, I said ‗Can you open the door for me?‘ and he says, ‗Open it yourself!‘ Can you believe it!

B:I know. That boy‘s so rude! I said to his father, I said ‗you should do something about that boy,‘ and do you know what he said to me? He said, ‗It‘s none of your business.‘

A: Oh, he‘s just as bad as Terry. ‗Like father like son‘ as they say.

***

A:Ugh! This coffee is really horrible!

B:Yea, I know. Machine coffee, I mean, why do we drink the stuff?

A:It‘s sort of like… someone puts the contents of an ashtray in water and… ehm … like, heats it up or something, you know.

B:Yeah, that‘s what it tastes like … and… I mean, having you tried the …

ehm… the tea?

A:Ah yeah, the tea! That‘s even worse! I mean the plastic cups don‘t help, do

they?

B:No, I know … plastic cups! … We like even had champagne in plastic cups, you know, at what‘s-her-name‘s leaving party…

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A: Jenny. Jenny. Glen. Yeah, I remember that, last January it was … I … kind of … liked Jenny. I wonder what she‘s doing now…

♦♦♦ Unit 2. The Problem of Phonetic Functional Styles

Classification

Explanation

Human communication isn‘t possible without intonation, because it‘s instrumental in conveying the meaning. No sentence can exist without a particular intonation.

Intonation is a language universal. It is a powerful means of communication. It has a great potential for expressing ideas and emotions and it contributes to mutual understanding between people.

Intonation is the music of the language. In English, we use tone to signal emotion, questioning, and parts of the sentence among many other things. It‘s important to recognize the meaning behind the tones used in everyday speech, and to be able to use them so that there are no misunderstandings between the speaker and the listener. It is generally true that mistakes in pronunciation of sounds can be overlooked, but mistakes in intonation make a lasting impression.

Intonation is «the melody of speech». It is said to indicate the attitudes and emotions of the speaker, so that one and the same sentence can be pronounced in a happy way, a sad way, an angry way, and so on. It is clear that when we are expressing emotions, we also use different voice qualities, different speaking rates, facial expressions, gestures. We must indicate what type of information is presenting and how it is structured, and at the same time we must keep our listeners‘ attention and their participation in the exchange of information.

Intonation plays a central role in stylistic differentiation of oral texts. Adult speakers are both transmitters and receivers of the same range of phonostylistic effects carried by intonation. The intonation system of a language provides a consistently recognizable invariant basis of these effects from person to person. The uses of intonation in this function show that the information so conveyed is impossible to separate from lexical and grammatical meanings expressed by words and constructions in a language (verbal context) and from situational information (non-verbal context). The meaning of intonation can not be judged in isolation.

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Thus the primary concern of linguistics is the study of language in use. It‘s particularly relevant for the study of intonational functional styles, because we‘re interested in how the language units are used in various social situations. An intonational style can be defined as a system of interrelated intonational means which is used in a certain social sphere and serves a definite aim in communication.

The problem of intonational styles classification can hardly be regarded as settled as yet. Several different styles of pronunciation may be distinguished, although no generally accepted classification of styles has been worked out and the peculiarities of different styles have not yet been sufficiently investigated. Most scholars do not argue about the number of styles being five, but disagree about their terminology. Besides, it should be noted that the phonetic styleforming means are the degree of assimilation, reduction and elision, all of which depend on the degree of carefulness of pronunciation. Each phonetic style is characterized by a specific combination of certain segmental and prosodic features.

The British phonetician D. Jones distinguishes such styles of pronunciation as the rapid familiar style, the slower colloquial style, the natural style used in addressing a fair-sized audience, the acquired style of the stage, and the acquired style used in singing.

T. Kenyon described four principal styles of good spoken English: familiar colloquial, formal colloquial, public-speaking style and public-reading style.

L.V. Shcherba wrote of the need to distinguish a great variety of styles of speech, in accordance with the great variety of different social occasions and situations, but for the sake of simplicity he suggested that only two styles of pronunciation should be distinguished: (1) colloquial style characteristic of people‘s quiet talk, and (2) full style, which we use when we want to make our speech especially distinct and, for this purpose, clearly articulate all the syllables of each word.

The other way of classifying phonetic styles is suggested by J.A. Dubovsky who discriminates the following styles: informal ordinary, formal neutral, formal official, informal familiar, declamatory. This division is based on different degrees of formality or rather familiarity between the speaker and the listener.

M. A. Sokolova and other‘s approach is slightly different. And it is this very classification of phonostyles that is considered useful for teaching and

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learning purposes. According to M.A. Sokolova there are five intonational styles singled out mainly according to the purpose of communication. They are as follows:

Informational (Formal) style;

Academic (Scientific) style;

Publicistic style;

Declamatory (Artistic) style;

Conversational (Familiar) style.

As we may see the above-mentioned phonetic styles on the whole correlate with functional styles of the language. They are differentiated on the basis of spheres of discourse. For instance, according to professor I.R. Galperin there are such verbal functional styles of the written language as: (1) belles-lettres style, embracing genres of creative writing; (2) publicistic style, covering such genres as essays, feature article, public speeches; (3) newspaper style, observed in the majority of materials printed in newspapers; (4) scientific prose style, found in articles, brochures, monographs and other scientific, academic publications; (5) the style of official documents.

These styles are the product of the development of the written variety of language. In the case of oral representation of written texts each verbal style is given a phonetic identity. Thus the situational context and the speaker‘s purpose determine the choice of an intonational style. The primary situational determinant is the kind of relationship existing between the participants in a communicative transaction.

Intonational styles distinction is based on the assumption that there are types of information present in communication: intellectual information, emotional and attitudinal (modal) information, volitional and desiderative information. Consequently, there are three types of intonation patterns used in oral communication: a) intonation patterns used for intellectual purposes, b) intonation patterns used for emotional and attitudinal purposes and c) intonation patterns used for volitional and desiderative purposes. All intonational styles include intellectual intonation patterns, because the aim of any kind of intercourse is to communicate or express some intellectual information. The frequency of occurrence and the overall intonational distribution of emotional and volitional patterns shape the distinctive features of each style.

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QUESTIONS and TASKS:

1.What main functions does intonation perform in the act of communication?

2.Give a definition of an intonational style.

3.Speak on phonetic styles distinction. What are the main types of classification of phonostyles distinguished by different phoneticians?

4.Compare intonational and verbal styles. Where do they overlap and differ?

5.What imposes restrictions on the speaker‘s choice of an intonational style?

6.What are three types of information that present in communication?

POETRY

King Richard II (Act III, Scene 3) ♫

ˈWhat ˙must the ˙King ˙do \now? ˌMust he sub‟mit? The ˈKing shall \do it. ˌMust he be de‟posed?

The ˈKing shall be con\tented. ˈMust he ˙lose The „name of ˙King? O ˈGod‘s \name, ˈlet it \go.

I‘ll ˈgive my „jewels│for a ˈset of \beads, My ˈgorgeous „palace│for a \hermitage, My ˈgay ap‟parel│for an \almsman‘s ˌgown, My ˈfigured „goblets│for a ˈdish of \wood,

My ˇsceptre│for a ˈpalmer‘s \walking-ˌstaff, My „subjects│for a ˈpair of ˙carved \saints, And my ˈlarge „kingdom│for a ˌlittle \grave, A \little, ˈlittle \grave, an obs\cure ˌgrave; –

ˈOr I‘ll be „buried in the ˈking‘s \highway,

Some ˈway of ˌcommon \trade, where ˈsubjects‘ „feet May ˈhourly \trample on their ˈsovereign‘s \head;

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For ˈon my „heart they ˌˌtread \\now│ˌwhilst I \live,

And „buried ˙once, why ˈnot upon my „head?

W.Shakespeare (1564-1616)

♦♦♦Unit 3. Speech Typology

Explanation

Analysis of most varieties of English speech shows that the intonational styles contrastivity is explicable only within the framework of speech typology, embracing primarily:

a)varieties of language;

b)forms of communication;

c)degree of speech preparedness;

d)the number of participants involved in communication;

e)the character of participants‘ relationship.

Language in its full interaction has two varieties – spoken and written. The term ‗spoken‘ is used in relation to oral texts produced by unconstrained speaking, while the term ‗written‘ is taken to cover both oral representation of written texts (reading) and the kind of English that we sometimes hear in the language of public speakers and orators, or possibly in formal conversation (more especially between strangers).

According to the nature of the participation situation in which the speaker is involved two forms of communication are generally singled out – monologue and dialogue, the former being referred to as a one-sided type of conversation and the latter as a balanced one. Monologue is speaking of one individual; dialogue presupposes the participation of two or more speakers. Monologues are usually more extended and characterized by a greater lexical and grammatical cohesion. They are better organized.

Degree of speech preparedness entails distinction between prepared and spontaneous speech.

As far as the number of participants involved in communication is concerned, speech may be public and non-public.

And, finally, from the character of participants‘ relationship viewpoint there are formal and informal types of speech.

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Formal type of speech is designed to be intelligible to the general population of speakers of the language, whether or not they live in the same area or country. Its functioning is characterized by intentional approach of the speaker towards the choice of language means suitable for a particular communicative situation and the official, formal, serious, preplanned nature of the latter. There will be a standard or general vocabulary, grammar and syntax that are understood by the vast majority of speakers, so that information is shared with as little misunderstanding as possible.

Informal type of speech, on the contrary, is characterized by the immediacy, spontaneity, informality of the communicative situation. It is not premeditated. Alongside this consideration there exists a strong tendency to treat informal speech as an individual language system with its independent set of language units and rules of their connection.

Thus, there is a distinct well-defined correlation between intonational styles and speech typology. In describing, for example, the intonation identity of familiar (conversational) style one has to take into account that it occurs in the spoken variety of English, both in one-sided (monologue) and balanced (dialogue) types of conversation, in spontaneous, non-public, informal discourse.

Intonational Styles and Speech Typology Correlation

QUESTIONS and TASKS:

1.What does speech typology embrace?

2.Why is it important to take into account speech typology when analyzing intonational styles?

3.How is each intonational style manifested from the point of view of speech typology?

4.How can you define formal and informal types of speech? What are they characterized by?

POETRY

Sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge ♫

>Earth has ˈnot ˙anything to „show ¦ more \fair

ˈDull would he ˙be of „soul who ˈcould ˙pass „by A ˌsight ˙so “touching in its “majesty:│

ˈThis „City now doth ˙like a “garment ˌwear.│ The ˌbeauty of the \morning „silent, \bare,│

>Ships, \towers, >domes, ˇtheatres and ˇtemples lie

ˈOpen into the ˇfields and to the \sky;

ˈAll „bright ¦ and „glittering in the ˈsmokeless \air.

ˆNever did ˇsun ¦ more ˈbeautifully „steep ¦

The river ¦ „glideth at his ˈown ˈsweet \will:│

”Dear “God!│the ˈvery „houses ˈseem a„sleep;

And ˈall ¦ ˙that “mighty \heart is \lying \still!

William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

MODULE II. FUNCTIONAL STYLES BY M.A. SOKOLOVA

♦♦♦ Unit 1. Informational (Formal) Style

Explanation

Informational (formal) style is characterized by predominant use of intellectual intonation patterns. It occurs in formal discourse where the task set by the sender of the message is to communicate information without giving it any emotional or volitional evaluation. This intonational style is used, for instance, by radio or television announcers when reading weather forecasts, news, or in various official situations. It is considered to be stylistically neutral.

When using informational the speaker is primarily concerned that each sentence type, such as declarative or interrogative, command or request, dependent or independent, is given an unambiguous intonational identity. The sender of the message consciously avoids giving any secondary values to utterances. It might interfere with the listener‘s correct decoding the message and with inferring the principal point of information in the sentence. So in most cases the speaker sounds dispassionate.

The characteristic feature of informational style is the use of (Low-Pre- head + ) Falling Head + Low Fall (Low Rise) ( + Tail), normal or slow speed of utterance and regular rhythm. Less frequently the Stepping Head (characterized by an even, unchanged pitch level over each of the stress-groups) may be used instead of the Falling Head. In certain cases the Fall-Rise occurs, with the falling part of the tune indicating the main idea and the rising part making some addition to the main idea.

In informational style intonation never contrasts with lexical and grammatical meanings conveyed by words and constructions. Internal

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boundaries placement is semantically predictable, that is, an intonation group here always consists of words joined together by sense.

Besides, it is important to note that intonation groups tend to be short; duration of pauses varies from medium to long. Short pauses are rather rare.

The following examples illustrate the use of informational style:

(A) News Bulletin ♫

Ebola Virus

Two Americans who became sick with the deadly Ebola virus have been released from the hospital in Atlanta. Tests showed they were free of the disease.

Dr. Kent Brantly said ―today is a miraculous day‖ as he was released from

Emory University Hospital in Atlanta after nearly three weeks of treatment. Dr. Brantly and aid worker Nancy Whitebol were treated with the experimental drug zMapp. They were infected with the disease in Liberia. The serum was developed from proteins inside tobacco plants. Dr. Bruce Ribner is the medical director of Emory‘s Infectious Disease Unit. He said, ―to the extent that we‘ve tested, there is no evidence of Ebola virus in their bodies.‖

Their recovery is the first bit of good news in the fight against the deadly virus. The World Health Organization says 1,350 people have died in West Africa, with 576 of deaths coming from Liberia.

Islamic State group demanded $132 million for ransom

Global Post reports that the Islamic State militants had demanded $132 million for the release of American journalist James Foley before executing him. Foley was a freelance journalist for the news outlet Global Post when he was taken. The news outlet gave the information to U.S. officials. The United States has a policy of not paying ransom to kidnappers. The U.S. Defense Department said on Wednesday that a rescue mission for Foley and other hostages earlier this summer had failed.

It’s official, Widodo won

After more than a month Indonesia‘s Constitutional Court has upheld the official election result. The ruling allows Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo to become Indonesia‘s next president. Prabowo Subianto, a former army general, had challenged the presidential election result in July after mister Widodo received about 53 per cent of the vote.

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