Prosodics Flashcards
What is intonation?
Intonation is the melody of speech; study of intonation is mainly concerned with the rising and falling of the pitch of the voice.
What are prosodic characteristics of speech?
Pitch, volume and speed- all of which make the rhythm.
What is tonality?
Tonality or chunking is the system that divides spoken discourse into smaller units known as intonation phrases (also referred to as word groups, tone units, intonation units).
What is an IP?
To make themselves understood, speakers organize the flow of speech into smaller, meaningful chunks, called intonation phrases (IPs). The boundary between two successive IP’s is called an intonation break.
What is neutral tonality?
When the division into IP’s follows the divison into clauses or sentences.
Example: Milk comes from cows, | and wool comes from sheep.
When do we have intonation breaks?
Intonation breaks are often between successive sentences, usually between successive clauses, sometimes between successive phrases and occasionally between successive words. There can be a break within a word but it’s unusual and only used for special emphasis.
What is marked tonality?
When the division into IP’s occur within a clause, phrase, word or even syllable boundaries or if one IP covers more than 1 clause or sentence (division into IP’s does not follow the division of clauses). It needs some sort of context):
a) When IP’s occur within a clause, phrase, word or even syllable boundaries:
(1) Milk | comes from cows. Delicious, | cool | milk.
b) When one IP covers more than one clause or sentence
(2)| He did. I saw him. ||
When do vocatives get their own IP?
Only in initial positions (to draw attention):
LINda, | could I have a WORD?
Jenny and PETer, | I want you to take the LEFT side.
When do adverbials (answers to how, when, where, how often?) get their own IP?
a) At the beginning of a clause:
(1) On Thursday EVEning | I’m going out.
b) In the middle of a clause:
(2) Well we COULD | THIS year | do something DIFFerent.
c) If they’re sentence adverbials (adjuncts) modifying the whole clause:
(3) I’m quite disaPPOINted, | FRANKly.
–> Ambiguous structures:
She talked to me HONestly. vs. She TALKed to me, | HONestly.
Adverbials do NOT get their own IP when they are:
Modifying the verb/adjective:
(4) She quickly picked up the PENcil.
(5) We were really PLEASED with it.
Adverbs of manner:
(6) I just can’t take him SERiously.
(7) I’ll pay you back SOON.
When do relative clauses get their own IP?
a) Non-defining relative clauses (,) get their own IP:
(1) She’s my SISter, | who lives in CANada. (= my only sister)
b) Defining relative clauses do not get their own IP:
(2) She’s my sister who lives in CANada. (= one of my sisters)
The same rule applies to appositions (two consecutive NPs that refer to the same thing):
(3) This is my colleague CHARLES. (= one of my many colleagues)
This is my COLLeague, | CHARLES. (= 2 pieces of information: colleague, name)
This is my COLLeague, Charles. (1 – vocative; 2 – from several Charles-es, this one is my colleague)
When do lists and parallel structures get their own IP?
If the context requires emphasis, each item will be given its own IP.
(1) I come on MONdays, | WEDnesdays | and FRIdays.
Strings of letters/numbers will be said all in one IP unless emphasized (to be easier for the listener to process)
A: How do you spell to SEIZE? B: S, E, I, Z, E.
A: What was that again? B: S, | E, | I, | Z, | E. (each is a nucleus and separate IP)
When do tag questions have their own IP?
a) Reverse polarity (checking) tags have their own IP:
(1) We could do it toMORrrow, | COULDn’t we?
b) Constant-polarity (copy) tags do not have a separate IP:
(2) You’re ready to GO, are you?
A heavy noun phrase is…
- Heavy noun phrases = phrases which consist of several content words.
When functioning as a grammatical subject, it is given its own IP:
0The people I’ve been TALKing to | were quite SURE about it.
Marked themes (topics) are…
when other sentence elements occur in the initial position (due to context). Marked themes are always followed by an intonation break and require their own IP’s.
His RUDEness | I shall igNORE. || But his ACTions | I cannot forGIVE. (objects in initial position)
What is tonicity?
Tonicity is the placement of nucleus in an intonation unit.
It’s a system by means of which the speaker decides on the focus of information.
When a speaker decides which word to be accented, he chooses the tonicity of the IP.
What is neutral tonicity?
Tonicity is the placement of nucleus in an intonation unit. It’s a system by means of which the speaker decides on the focus of information.
When a speaker decides which word to be accented, s/he chooses the tonicity of the IP.
(each IP contains one item which is particularly important for the meaning –> N). This implies that the information of the whole intonation unit is in focus (=broad focus).
I want to buy a LEMon.
What is marked tonicity?
When the nucleus is not located on the last content word (last lexical item) – but within an item which comes earlier in the intonation focus. In this case, only the section up to the nucleus is in focus (= narrow focus).
Would you like gin and TONic? – I prefer VODka and tonic.
What is a single stressed compound?
Most compounds are single stressed compounds as they only have one stress. The nucleus is on the first element (‘early stressed compound’).
(1) It’s well past your BEDtime.
o Open compounds (2-word compounds): Is that my LIBrary book?
o Nested compounds: credit card bill –> [‘ [‘credit card] bill]
What are double stressed compounds?
Double stressed/late stressed/end stressed compounds are when the nucleus is on the second element.
This includes:
o Proper names of people: ,James Mc’Gregor; De,nise ‘Harris
o Proper names of roads & public places (except ending in street: ‘Oxford Street):
Vic,toria ‘Road ; ,Oxford ‘Avenue ; ,Leicester ‘Square)
o Names of institutions such as hotels and schools:
the ,Festival ‘Hall ; ,Goldsmith’s ‘College ; ,Bailey’s ‘Restaurant ; the ,Marlborough Ho‘tel
o Compounds in which the first element names the place or time:
,Town ‘Hall ; ,kitchen ‘window ; ,Christmas ‘Eve ! BUT: ‘Christmas card
o Compounds in which the first element names the material or ingredient (except ending in juice or cake: ‘orange juice; ‘carrot cake): ,leather ‘jacket ; ,cheese ‘sandwich ; ,pork ‘chop;
What is contrastive focus?
It’s a particular type of narrow focus. It is used to put two items in contrast; either grammatical or lexical items. The contrast can be explicit or implicit.
(1) I know what PETer wants, | but what do you want? (explicit)
(2) I don’t know what YOU’RE complaining about. (implicit: between you, the addressee & someone else)
* Cont. focus can override some rules: N on a given item to correct: A: He’s a famous actor. B: Well not exactly an ACTor | more a SINger. Focus on a part of a word (changed stress): I got her a birthday PREsent, | but I didn’t get her a birthday CARD.
Information status
If all information is new, the N is on the last lexical item: A: Yes madam? B: I’d like a gin and TONic.
If the last lexical item is old info, then the N moves to the left on the first lexical item containing new info.
A: Who doesn’t want to DANCE? B: BILL doesn’t want to dance.
When can old information bear the nucleus tone?
a) When reusing the other speaker’s words - echo questions
(1) A: I can’t stand ‘WHIiskey.
B: You can’t stand
‘WHIskey?
or echoing the other speaker’s words
(2) A: So you’re going to ‘EMIgrate?
B: ‘EMIgrate, yes.
b) When reusing your own words
(3) It’s TRUE, it’s TRUE! or re-accenting the same ideas by using synonyms
(4) I ‘HATE her, I de’TEST her, I can’t ‘STAND her!)
c) with idiomatic expressions
(5) We walked for miles and MILES.
(6) The noise got louder and ‘LOUder.)
What is broad focus? What is narrow focus? Provide examples.
a) For broad focus (the whole IP in focus), we use neutral tonicity -> nucleus on the last lexical item
(1) A: What happened next?
B: Everyone burst out laughing.
(2) A: What’s going on here?
B: Selena’s had a heart attack.
b) With narrow focus (only a part of IP in focus), the nucleus shows where the focus domain ends
(3) A: Who brought the wine?
(possibilities:
3a) MARY.
3b) MARY did.
3c) MARY brought the wine.
3d) I think it was MARY that brought the wine.
–> the intonation is indicating that the focus is on the item ‘Mary’
