Theory of phonetics

Lecture IX. Intonation.
Key words:

1. pitch range ['pIC 'reInG] – диапазон / высота тона 2. the pitch contour ['kOntVq] – контур высоты тона 3. pitch span [spxn] – диапазон высоты тона 4.to squeak [skwJk] – пищать, скрипеть 5.to growl [graVl] – рычать, греметь 6. implication ["ImplI'keISn] - подтекст 7. to delimitate [dI'lImIteIt] – определять границы 8. to subordinate [sq'bLdIneIt] – подчи- нять 9. subsidiary [sqb'sIdIqrI] – вспомога- тельный, дополнительный 10. rheme [rJm] - рема 11. framework ['freImwWk] – рамки, структура

12. abrupt [q'brApt] – внезапный, рез- кий, обрывистый 13. spiky ['spaIkI] – сварливый, несго- ворчивый 14. recurrence [rI'kArqns] – возвраще- ние, повторение 15. brevity ['brevItI] - краткость 16. enclitic [In'klItIk] - энклитический 17. proclitic [prqV'klItIk] – проклитичес- кий 18.to refine [rI'faIn] – усовершенст- вовать, делать более утонченным 19. isochronous [aI'sOkrqnqs] – изохрон- ный 20. periodicity ["pIqrIq'dIsItI] – перио- дичность, частота 21.to slope [slqVp] – опускаться по наклонной 22. aesthetic [Js'TetIk] - эстетичный

I. Structure of intonation.
II. The communicative function of intonation.
III. Rhythm.
I. Structure of intonation. Intonation is a language universal. There are no languages which are spoken as a monotone? That is without any change of prosodic parameters. But intonation functions in various languages in a different way. It functions as “make-up” or “decoration” and “dictates” a specific background of the communicative process. Native speakers use it subconsciously. But in print no attempt has been made to convey intonation? Whereas the orthography always reminds us of the sounds a reader should produce properly.
A few decades ago phoneticians started paying attention not only to segmental units, but to suprasegmental ones as well. Thus the auditory and acoustic factors play a great role in description of any intonation, then we can speak about its linguistic function.
There is wide agreement among Soviet linguists that on perception level intonation is a complex, a whole, formed by significant variations of pitch, loudness and tempo (i.e. the rate of speech and pausation) closely related. Some Soviet linguists regard speech timbre as the fourth component of intonation. It is an undisputable fact that speech timbre conveys certain shades of attitudinal or emotional meaning. Nowadays there is another term “prosody” which embraces the three prosodic components and substitutes the term “intonation”.
Each syllable of the speech chain has a special pitch colouring. Some of the syllables have significant moves of tone up and down. Each syllable bears a definite amount of loudness. Pitch movements are inseparably connected with loudness. Together with the tempo of speech they form an intonation pattern which is the basic unit of intonation.
An intonation pattern contains one nucleus and may contain other stressed or unstressed syllables normally preceding or following the nucleus. The boundaries of an intonation pattern may be marked by stops of phonation, that is temporal pauses.
Intonation patterns serve to actualize syntagms in oral speech. It may be well to remind you here that the syntagm is a group of words which is semantically and syntactically complete. In phonetics actualized syntagms are called intonation groups. Each intonation group may consist of one or more potential syntagms, e.g. “I am sure they are lying” has two potential syntagms: “I am sure” and “they are lying”. In oral speech it is normally actualized as one intonation group.