Types of intonation

• Some writers have described intonation entirely in terms of pitch, while others propose that what we call intonation is in fact an amalgam (mixture) of several prosodic variables
• Types of Intonation in English

  • Tonality: Division of speech into units
  • Tonicity: Highlighting of particular words and syllables
  • Tone: Choice of pitch movement (e.g., fall or rise)
• The Three T's


  Tonality, Tonicity, Tone
• Pitch Range


  • Speakers can use a wide or narrow pitch range
  • A wide range often indicates excitement, while a narrow range suggests a lack of excitement
• Pitch Level


  • Intonation can be categorised into mid, high, or low levels
  • These levels and their ranges (normal, wide, narrow) are crucial characteristics of intonation
• Emotional Expression


  • Very high or very low pitch levels and ranges wider or narrower than normal indicate strong emotions
  • The type of emotion depends on context and other factors like word choice, tone, loudness, tempo, and facial expression
• British English


  Tends to have a wider pitch range between the highest and lowest syllables in a sentence compared to American English
• Women


  Generally use higher pitch levels and change pitch more frequently than men
• Rhythm


  The regularity in the timing of successive speech units, known as isochrony
• Sense Groups


  Sentences are divided into groups of logically connected words
• Final and Nonfinal Sense Groups

  • The final sense group, usually at the end of a sentence, determines the sentence type
  • Nonfinal sense groups, at the beginning or middle, influence the overall intonation
• Tone Usage


  • The final tone in the final sense group depends on the sentence type (e.g., falling tone in statements, rising tone in questions)
  • The tone in the nonfinal sense group is influenced by its importance, completeness, and connection to the final sense group
• Common Tone Combinations


  • Rise+fall or fall+fall
  • Closely connected groups: Rising tone in the nonfinal sense group, falling in the final (e.g., "When Anton lived in /London, he worked at a bank")
  • Independent groups: Falling tone in both sense groups (e.g., "You can go \home-we don't have any more \classes")