Intonation

  Intonation

Vibrating glottis provides voiced and voiceless distinction. It has another important role to play in continuous speech, I.e. it provides pitch  fluctuation. By pitch fluctuation we mean that the pitch of the voice is continually in the process of  this in the process of either falling or rising. While we are talking in fact it never remains constant for more than a fraction of the second. Pitch fluctuation is found in the speech of all communities. It is not a random fluctuation but follows well-defined melodic patterns which are meaningful.

The pitch of the voice is determined by the frequency of the vibration of the vocal chords that is the number of times they open and close in a second. The pattern of variation of the pitch of the voice (that is fall or the rise) constitutes the intonation of a language.

If you say ‘Put it down’ the pitch of your voice will move from a high level through a low-level this is called the falling tone.

The falling tune is sometimes referred to as the glide –down. It consists of a fall in the pitch of the voice from a high level to a low level. It is marked[   ]. The falling tune is normally used in 

Ordinary statements:  It was quite   good.

Wh questions: Who are you   talking to?

Command: Take it a way.

Exclamations:     Splendid!

Question Tags: It was a good film .Wasn’t  it?

Rhetorical questions: Wasn’t that a  difficult exam?

The Rising Tune is sometimes referred to as glide up. It consists of glide in the pitch from low to high level. It is marked [    ]

The rising tune is normally used in 

Polite requests: Go and open the    window.

Expected responses:    Thank you.

Alternative questions: Do you like   tea or  coffee or   coke.

Enumeration :   One,  two,  three,   four ,  five.

Greetings, apologies, partings: He   llo, I’m so sorry, Good   bye, 

The falling-rising tune is sometimes referred to as the dive. It consists of a fall from high to low and then a rise to the middle of the voice. The tune can be used either on one syllable or different syllablesof a word or sentence. It can be illustrated thus:   Seventy,   That was  nice. 

For correcting and warning (he’s forty-five.) Forty   six,  

Please be     careful, You’ll be    late

These tunes are called kinetic tunes, i.e. there is a pitch change on a particular tune. If a syllable is said on a level pitch, it is said to be static one.

Practicl exercise on Intonation 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6aE4nceJt8