Intonation of questions

Questions fall into four main types: General, Special, Alternative and Disjunctive.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

General questions are often pronounced with the High Rising nuclear tone (mid-high variant) preceded by a High Level or Stepping Head, normal .or high Prehead. According to their meaning these questions may be defined as Neutral, or Genuine, since they ask for information only and don’t convey any additional connotations such as the speaker's personal interest, surprise, skepticism, etc.

Depending on the situation such general questions may sound light, airy or formal and businesslike:

a) — I saw a film last night. — Did you ‛like it?

b) — 'Shall I 'switch on the ‛tape-recorder? — Do, please.

The most usual case for a nuclear High Rise on General questions is when they are used as Echo questions, or, in other words, questions asking for repetition. These are asked either because the listener hasn’t heard the speaker’s question clearly or because he is surprised at what he has heard. Sometimes the listener repeats the speaker's question in order to gain time before answering:

— 'Do you 'know his ‛name?

— 'Do I 'know his ‛name? Why, certainly.

The High Rising tone in an Echo question is higher in pitch than the High Rise of a stimulus general question:

e.g.: — Are you ‛serious? — Am I ‛serious?

A common way of asking General questions is with the nuclear Low Rising tone preceded by a high-pitched prenuclear part. Questions taking this intonation pattern show the speaker’s interest not only in receiving information but also in the listener himself. That is why they may be called Friendly General questions.

These questions are suitable for all kinds of situations but are especially frequent when talking to children:

Daughter: — I don’t want to draw any more.

Mother: — 'Are you ‚tired?

General questions may also be pronounced with the Falling nuclear tone (high, mid or low).

A High Falling nucleus combined with a High (or Stepping) head gives the question a note of suggestion, offer, invitation:

— We are going out tonight to see a picture. 'Would you ˙like to ‘join us?

— I’d love to. But I’ve already made an appointment for this evening.

A Low Falling nucleus preceded by a high or Descending Head gives an insistent or a skeptical note to the General question. Such questions are often used when the speaker is not satisfied with the listener’s answer and has to repeat his original question, or when he is sure of the negative

a) — He’s promised to stop smoking. — 'Does he 'really mean what he says?

b) — Did you know they’d come? — Well, I was told something about it.

— 'Did you 'know they would come?

SPECIAL QUESTIONS

The most common intonation pattern for Special questions is a Falling tune (High or Low) with a Normal or High prehead and a High or Stepping Head (if any). Special questions pronounced with this intonation pattern are used in all kinds of situations and are regarded as Normal, or Neutral.

In Normal Special questions the first stress usually falls on the interrogative word and the nuclear stress is placed on some other word coming later in the utterance:

Patient: I’m afraid I’m seriously ill, doctor. Doctor: 'What has been ‘troubling you?

Note: The intonation pattern of Normal Special questions is very similar to that of straightforward statements. The difference lies in the pitch-level of the first stressed word in the head which is considerably higher in the questions. Compare:

– Jane is going to the countryside. – 'What is she 'planning to ‘do?

The interrogative word of a special question may become the nucleus of the tune while the remaining part of the utterance forms the tail. This kind of structure is used when the speaker wants to draw the listener’s attention to a particular detail or when he hasn’t been satisfied with what he has been told and insists on a more exact answer. Such Special questions may be called Specifying or Insistent

Note: The Nuclear Fall may be made emphatic: — There’s somebody’s bag in the car. — ‘‘Whose bag?

— I'm afraid I must leave for the country today. — But ‘‘why must you go so soon?

Special questions pronounced with the Low Rising nuclear tone preceded by a high-pitched prenuclear part (Stepping or High Level Head or High Prehead, if there is no Head) convey the speaker’s interest and his warm attitude to the listener:

'What’s the ‚matter with you? 'What’s been ‚troubling you?

This is a friendly way of making inquiries or, in other words, these are Friendly Special questions. They are commonly used in a series of questions, especially addressed to children:

— 'What’s your ‘name, little boy? — Bobby.

—And your ‚mother’s ˙name?

— Jane.

— And 'how ‚old are you, ˙Bobby?

— I’m four.

ALTERNATIVE QUESTIONS

Alternative questions generally form a combined tune in speech. The most common nuclear tones in the first and the second intonation-groups are: Low Rise + Fall (High. Low) and High Rise + Fall (High. Low).

The first pattern is suitable in all kinds of situations while the second conveys a more formal attitude. Alternative questions can be Friendly and Neutral.

Where there are more than two alternatives, the combined tune contains more than two intonation groups:

— Do you 'usually have ‚porridge, | ‚cornflakes | or ‘eggs for breakfast?

The Falling nuclear tone in the last intonation-group shows that the list of alternatives is complete:

a) — Would you 'like a 'book by ‚Dickens | or 'would you pre'fer one of the ‘modern writers?

b) — Is he 'coming on ‚Wednesday | or on ‘Saturday?

When the list of alternatives is incomplete the last intonation-group has the same nuclear tone as the preceding one— the High Rise or the Low Rise:

— 'Can she ˙play the ‚piano | or the ‚violin? (or some other musical instruments)

DISJUNCTIVE QUESTIONS

The typical intonation patterns of these questions are combined tunes of the following two types:

Fall (High, Low) + Rise (low, High) and Fall (High, Low) + Fall (High, Low):

You ‘like this dress, | ‚don't you?

'Jane’s new 'coat is ‘brown | ‚isn't it?

It’s 'rather a 'long ‘way,| ‘isn't it?

There’s a 'good ‘play on television, | ‘isn’t there?

The intonation pattern of the first type shows that the speaker is not sure of the answer he will get or is asking the listener’s opinion (Uncertainty Disjunctive questions):

Mother: —You 'haven’t ˙eaten ˙anything since‘ breakfast, | ‛have you?

Daughter: — Yes, I have. I had lunch at the institute canteen with my groupmates.

The intonation pattern of the second type shows that the speaker is sure of the answer he will get or expects the listener to agree with him (Certainty Disjunctive questions):

Passenger: —I must get 'off at the ˙next‘ stop, | ‘mustn’t I?

Conductor: —Yes, it’s the next stop

Disjunctive questions of this type are used by the speaker rather to keep the conversation going than to get new information.

— It’s 'nasty ‘weather today | ‘isn’t it? – Awful, indeed.