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System of English intonation

In speech words are joined in sentences. Pronounced in isolation without a context or life situation, words do not form sentences. They become sentences only when they are pronounces with a particular tone, loudness, duration and voice timbre, determined by a particular context that is with a definite intonation.

Intonation is a complex unity of the following components: speech melody, sentence stress, voice timber and tempo of speech which enables the speaker to express adequately the meaning of sentences, his attitude towards their contents and his feelings and emotions. This broa definition of intonation is given mainly by Russian scholars. British and American phoneticians define intonation generally as variations in pitch, excluding other components.

Functions of intonation

Intonation helps to organize sentences and to divide them into sense-groups. It indicates the communicative centre of a sense-group. Intonation may be used as a means for distinguishing different communicative types of sentences such as statements, questions, imperatives or exclamations. Thus, a statement may be turned into a question if a rising tone is used instead of a falling tone. At the same time intonation may indicate the emotional attitude of the speaker to words reality and differentiate such communicative typed as polite questions, friendly warnings, encouragements, etc.

 

Speech melody (the pitch): the pitch component of intonation. It is the variations in the pitch of the voice.

Sentence stress: it is the greater prominence which is given to one or more words in a sentence in comparison with other words in the same sentence.

The timber of speech: it is the special coloring of the voice in pronouncing sentences and it shows the speaker's emotions.

The tempo of speech: it is the speed with which sentences or their parts are pronounced. It is determined by the rate at which speech sounds are uttered and also by the number and length of pauses.

Closely connected with the tempo of speech is its rhythm (the recurrence of stressed syllables at more or less equal intervals of time).

The components of intonation for unit and we cannot divide them or single them out because they function together.

 

4. RP – Received Pronunciation

The main types of RP. There are 3 types:

1 conservative

2 general

3 advanced

The conservative RP forms are used by the older generation and they represent the pronunciation existing at the end of the 19th century.

The general RP forms are the type of pronunciation most commonly produced by educated natives. It is the pronunciation adopted by mass-media (BBC).

The advanced RP forms are mainly used by young people especially of the upper classes.

 

5. English dialects

dialect –

variant –

Every living language which serves the human society as the instrument of thought and the most powerful means of communication is in a state of constant development. When the same language is used by different countries separated from each other by great oceans and vast territories (Australia, Canada…). Each of them can develop certain peculiar features of pronunciation which are closely associated with its national cultures - variants. If such a type of pronunciation becomes sufficiently refined(î÷èùåíî) and mutually intelligible it is called national literary standard of pronunciation.



Regional literary pronunciation

The type of speech used by a person always depends on the region in which he/she is brought up. In such cases a slightly different pronunciation standard is developed and it can be called regional literary pronunciation (dialect).

In the British Isles there may be distinguished 3 types of regional English pronunciation:

- Southern

- Northern

- Standard Scottish pronunciation

 

 

Local dialects in the British Isles

· The Lowland dialect: Scottish, north of the river Tweed .

· The Northern dialect – between the river Tweed and Humber.

· The Western dialect

· The Midland dialect.

· The Easton dialect (between the river Homber and Themes).

· The Southern dialect (south of the Themes).

The Southern English dialect gave rise to the present-day national literary standard

 

 

Local dialects in the USA

 

The English language in the USA is characterized by relative uniformity throughout the country. However, three major dialogs have been identified: Northern, Midland (north midland and south midland), Southern. The differences in pronunciation between American dialects are most apparent (âèäèìûé), but they seldom interfere with understanding. Distinctions in grammar are rare. The differences in vocabulary are rather numerous but they are easy to pick up.

 


Date: 2015-02-03; view: 1533


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