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28 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Features (properties) of prosody |
the main properties of prosody are: -pitch (tone) -loudness -tempo (speed ) -rhythm - pauses *utterance stress *timbre |
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Definition of prosody |
Prosody can be defined as non-segmental phenomena. It refers collectively to variations in pitch, loudness, tempo and rhythm. Russian and Ukrainian linguists also add to this list utterance stress (sometimes called "sentence stress") and timbre of voice. They also state that the combination of these prosodic features enables the speaker to express some thoughts, emotions and attitude to the content of the utterance. |
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What is the prosody in terms of acoustic? |
Acoustically, it is a complex combination of varying fundamental frequency (speech melody) , intensity (stress & rhythm) and duration (tempo). |
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To what units do prosodic features pertain (belong) ? |
- syllables - rhythmic group - tone group - utterance (lecture 1) |
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How is intonation defined (broad & narrow definitions) |
Broad: Intonation is a complex unity of speech melody, utterance stress, tempo, rhythm and voice-timbre, which enables the speaker to express their thoughts, emotions and attitude to the content of the utterance. Narrow: Intonation is the variation in the pitch of voice, that is the speech melody. So, both notions include essentialy the same phenomena. |
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Prosodic characteristics of the syllable |
The syllable is the smallest prosodic unit. It has no meaning of its own, but it is significant for constituting (hierarchically /ˌhaɪərˈɑːkɪkəli/) higher prosodic units. Prosodic features of the syllable (tone, stress, duration) depend on its position and function in the rhythmic unit and in the utterance. |
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Rhythmic group (or accentual unit) |
rhythmic group consists of syllables. it can be just one stressed syllable or a stressed syllable with a number of unstressed ones grouped around it. The stressed syllable is the nucleus of the rhythmic unit. There are as many rhythmic units in an utterance as there are stressed syllables in it. |
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Elements of the structure (rhythmic group) |
It consists of one stressed and some unstressed syllables. The stress syllable is the nucleus of the rhythmic unit. The unstressed syllables are called clitics. Those syllables which are before the stressed syllable are called proclitics, and those which follow it are called enclitics. Proclitics can be in the initial rhythm unit. Non-initial rhythmic units in a tone unit/utterance start with the nucleous and some enclitics may follow. |
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Prosodic characteristics of the rhythmic unit |
the rhythmic group is characterised by a pitch pattern (or tonal contour), duration pattern (temporal structure) accent and rhythmic pattern. These prosodic characteristics make it possible to perceive the rhythmic unit as an actual discrete unit of prosody. |
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Tone group |
It is a part of an utterance that is 1) grammaticaly relevant. It may be subject +predicate or just a subject group or clause - any part of a sentence. 2) has a definite meaning 3) has definite prosodic features - variation in speech level, accent of stress, rhythm, tempo. A tone group may contain one or more rhythmic groups. It may coincide with an utterance or a part of an utterance.
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Characteristics of Tone group |
Structurally, the tone group has some obligatory formal characteristics. It consists of such elements as: - pre-head, - head, - nucleous (obligatory element), - tail. Nucleous is a stressed syllable in the most important word in a sentence. Apart from being stressed, it is marked by the change in pitch level - fall, rise or their combinations. The boundaries between tone groups are marked by pauses. All these features shape the tone group, differentiate one tone group from another and show its relative semantic importance. |
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Is the tone group a meaningful unit? |
The tone group is a meaningful unit because each unit has a definite meaning. For example, the most general meanings expressed by the tone group are those of completeness, finality versus incompleteness, non-finality. |
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How does tone group related to the sentence? |
It may coincide with a sentence or a part of a sentence. e. g. (73) |
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Utterance |
It is a higher unit in which prosodic features are realized. It is the main communicative unit. The utterance is characterised by semantic entity which is expressed by all the language means: lexical, grammatical and prosodic. |
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What prosodic units are larger than utterances? |
- hyperutterances - phonetic paragraphs - texts |
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hierarchy of prosodic units ˈhaɪərɑːki |
- The syllable - the rhythmic unit - the tone (intonation) group - the utterance and - the hyperutterance Each hierarchically higher unit consists of one or more units below it. ˌhaɪərˈɑːkɪkəli |
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Pitch component of intonation (or speech melody) |
It is the variations in the pitch of the voice which take place with voiced sounds. |
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Acoustic aspect of speech melody |
Acoustically, speech melody is the variations of the fundamental frequency, generated by vibrations of the vocal cords |
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What determines the pitch level of utterance? |
It is determined by the pitch of its highest-pitched syllable. |
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How does the pitch level correlate with the degree of importance of an utterance? |
It shows the degree of semantic importance which the speaker attaches to the utterance in comparison with any other utterance and also shows the speaker's attitude and emotions |
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What is the basic pitch levels in unemphatic speech? in emphatic speech? |
The number of linguistically relevant pitch levels in English has not been definitely established yet: it varies from 3 to 7. In unemphatic speech there are 3 pitch levels : low, mid, high. In emphatic speech: low, mid, high, extra-high. |
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Pitch range of an utterance |
it is the interval between its highest-pitched syllable and its lowest-pitched syllable. |
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The basic types of the pitch range of utterances? express attitudes & emotions? 75 |
(Some phoneticians adopt the existence two ranges - wide & narrow; others distinguish three pitch levels - wide, mid, narrowed). It may be widened and narrowed to emphasise the speaker's attitudes and emotions. - For example, if "Very good" is pronounced with a high narrow range it sounds less enthusiastic. - But when it is pronounced with a low narrow range it sounds sincere, but not emotional. - If it is pronounced with a wide range it sounds both sincere and enthusiastic.
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What factors determine the rate of pitch variations? |
It may be different depending on the time, during which these variations take place, and on the range of the variations. |
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What attitude do fast and slow pitch variations express? |
For example, the falling tone is steeper when it is pronounced within a shorter period of time, it's range being the same. On the other hand, the fall is steeper, when the time of the fall is the same, but the range is wider. ! When the rate of the fall is fast, the falling tone sounds are more categoric and definite than when the rate of the fall is slow. |
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Two basic types of tone? |
Depending on whether the pitch of the voice varies or remains unvaried, tones are subdivided into kinetic and static (or level) |
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How do static tones correlate with the pitch level of an utterance? |
Static tones may have different pitch level of the voice - the high static tone, the mid static tone, the low static tone. |
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How are kinetic tones different from static |
The differentiation of kinetic tones is also based on the differentiation of the pitch level of their initial and final points. They are subdivided into simple and complex. Simple tones are unidirectional : the falling and the rising tones. Complex tones are bidirectional: the falling-rising tone, the rising-falling tone, and the rising-falling-rising tone. |
