The sliding head, its usage and modal meaning

This head is formed by a sequence of slides – downward pitch changes associated with its each fully stressed syllable. It can be one-peak, diffuse or mixed prominence type. The Sliding Head is mostly used to intensify the meaning of the utterance. Sentences pronounced with the Sliding Head sound livelier, more expressive and more emotionally coloured as compared with the Stepping Head and the High Head, so this head is frequently used in informal talk or when there is a need to emphasize the whole utterance.

e.g.: We haven’t heard from him for ‘ages.

This head has a wide use in reading emotionally coloured texts.

e.g.: His sister had some very annoying ‘habits.

The Sliding Head is frequently combined with Fall-Rise.

e.g.: But it’s not really that at ˇall.

The scandent head, its usage and modal meaning

The Scandent Head is formed by a sequence of “climbs”, that is upward pitch changes corresponding to each rhythmic group. If the rhythmic group consists of a stressed syllable only, the climb is realized on this syllable. If there are unstressed syllables following the stressed one, the climb takes place on these, not on the stressed syllable:

e.g.: I can’t stand the ‘heat.

This head expresses a wide range of emotions, usually itensifying the meaning of the nuclear tone. It may sound encouraging and reassuring in combination with Low Rise:

Try a‚gain.

Don’t forget your ‚lunch.

With High Rise it sounds surprised:

e.g.: I’ve been at the football match today. – Haven’t you been to the ‛library?

With High Fall this head sounds cheerful and admiring or irritated:

e.g.: I’m not going to promise ‘anything.

Women use this head more frequently than men. Patterns with the Scandent Head are often used in telling fairy tales.

EMPHATIC NUCLEAR TONES

Emphatic tones are used in speech for various purposes, one of which is to increase the semantic prominence of separate items of an utterance or its overall prominence. The whole voice range of an utterance is widened as compared with the normal voice range of less emotionally coloured speech.

Normal voice range Emphatic voice range

‘No! ‘‘No!

E.g. You ˡˡknow eˡˡxactly what I’m ‘‘talking aˌbout.

I’ll call you as soon as I „get there.

Meaning of the contour:

• the Emphatic Rising Tones – surprise, a shocked reaction, a feeling of impatience;

• the Emphatic Falling Tones – energetic, decisive, insistent, persuasive, forceful. These Tones are often associated with a semantic contrast.

The emphatic high rising tone is most commonly used in questions to express surprise or a shocked reaction, e.g.:

a) — He has failed in his exams. — ”Has he?

b) — I told him everything I thought of him. — ”Did you?

The emphatic low rising tone in statements is often preceded by a low head. This pattern is commonly used to express a feeling of impatience, e.g.:

a) — I’m afraid I can’t help him. — He can do it a„lone.

b) — What did Mr. Grey say? — He was rather „rude.

A similar feeling is conveyed by the emphatic Low Rise in imperatives, e.g.:

— I'm not going there. — Don’t be ri„diculous.

The emphatic falling tones are most energetic and decisive in statements, insistent and persuasive in special questions and commands, forceful and strong in exclamations, e.g.:

a) — You must have misplaced those papers.

— I ˡcan’t underˡstand what you are ‘‘talking about.

b) — It’s altogether wrong.

— 'How do you ‘‘know it’s wrong?

c) — He acted as if he didn’t know me.

— 'How ‘‘strange.

An emphatic falling tone is often associated with a semantic contrast. The effect of contrast is increased when there are no prenuclear stresses, i.e. there is no head in an utterance, e.g.:

— It’s the wrong copy. — Go and take the ‘‘right one.

The contrastive function is reinforced by a nuclear shift, e.g.:

— I can't afford the decorations. — ˡGet your ‘‘husband to do it.

However, the nucleus bearing an emphatic fall is made contrastive even when it occupies its normal, i.e. final, position in the tune, e.g.:

— I have quite forgotten about tomorrow’s interview. — 'Surely you 'can’t have for˙gotten ‘‘that.

When an emphatic nuclear tone is preceded by emphatic prenuclear stresses there is no contrastive effect, but the general prominence of the utterance is increased, e. g.:

— ˡˡWho’s ˡˡthat ‘‘now? If those boys have come to ask for their ball again I shall scream!

In such a case emphatic stresses are frequently given not only to the notional words but also to the functional words.

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