Question 1 (Consolidate)
We saw in Section 11.9 that certain intonation patterns are associated with particular types of discourse. The radio or television broadcasting of football results is one such example. In the (invented!) examples below, suggest what the second score might be based on the intonation patterns used. The examples are divided into tone groups, with the tonic syllables written in capital letters or as bold question marks. The horizontal lines show the pitch level. Can you explain your decisions?
| 1 | | Sunderland ↘↗TWO | ¯ Newcastle United ↘??? | |
| 2 | | Tooting and Mitcham –FOUR | ↘STOKE City ??? | |
| 3 | | Everton ↘↗ONE | _Tottenham Hotspur ↘??? | |
Answer/discussion
| 1 | | Sunderland ↘↗TWO | ¯ Newcastle United ↘THREE | | (It could be more than 3 for Newcastle United!) |
| 2 | | Tooting and Mitcham –FOUR | ↘STOKE City four | |
| 3 | | Everton ↘↗ONE | _Tottenham Hotspur ↘NIL | |
In Examples 1 and 3, the fall-rise tones on the tonic syllables of the first tone unit indicate that the information is incomplete as far as the actual scores are concerned. In Example 1, the second tone unit begins on a higher-than-usual pitch, hinting that there is something ‘better’ to come. In Example 3, the second tone unit begins on a lower-than-usual pitch, hinting that there is disappointment in store. In Example 2, there is little noticeable pitch change on the first tonic syllable, preparing the listener to expect nothing different in the second tone unit. This is why the tonic syllable of the second tone unit is the initial, not the final syllable.
Question 2 (Explore)
Look again at Example 2 from the previous question and read your full result aloud. What do you notice about the intonation of the two tone units? Does this raise any issues about tone units and tonic syllables?
Answer/discussion
The first tonic syllable of the example is unusual in that it carries no noticeable change of pitch, but retains the level pitch of the rest of the tone unit. In the second tone unit, there is a fall in pitch on the first (tonic) syllable, and this is likely to continue to the end of the tone unit. This example shows us, then, that tone units don’t always conform to expectations. A tone unit may have relatively little change in overall pitch. Equally, a change in pitch may well continue over more than one syllable, as is likely in the second unit. In general, tone units are not as ‘neat’ as the football result examples. In spontaneous speech, it may be hard to decide where tone unit boundaries occur and which are the tonic syllables.
