INTONATION

Islam M. Abu Khater

What is it?

► Intonation is the variation of pitch when speaking .

► One of the elements of linguistic prosody.

►Perhaps the most important element of a good accent.

►Intonation helps create the music of a

language. (like notes in music)

►It is a part of communication. * the rise and fall of pitch in our voice

plays a crucial role in how we express meaning.

►Intonation is the change of level of voice

Importance of Intonation in Social Interaction

TURN-TAKING: Giving the floor to another person or taking your turn in a conversation

INFORMATION STRUCTURE :Major stress items pick out the most important words in

the sentence.

Word Stress vs. IntonationAre they different?

STRESS -stress within a word - a syllable is said Louder,

Longer at a higher pitch

INTONATION

-It goes beyond the word level.

- -it’s a change in pitch within a group of

words.-A long line of melody

Kinds of Tones •Fall – gives the impression of finality•Rise- conveys an impression that something

more is to follow.•Fall-Rise – shows limited agreement,

uncertainty and doubt.•Rise-Fall – convey rather strong feelings of

approval, disapproval or surprise•Level- tone is neutral and uninterested (usually calls “flat)”

Intonation Pattern

Two Basic Patterns

1 .Falling Intonation

2 .Rising Intonation

What is falling intonation?►A pattern in which your voice

falls to a low pitch by the end of a thought group or

statement.

What does it communicate?

Certainty You are telling a fact and/or you

believe you are right. Finality Completion : You are done

speaking. Your listener can now respond.

Falling intonation

■Declarative sentences

■ W H – questions

■ Commands

Example:

Erik builds flutes.// He began building flutes after college.// He

has one flute of his very own.//

What is rising intonation? conveys an impression that something more is to follow

■ YES/ NO questions

■ Open- choice alternative questions

Rising Intonation Example:

Is that Estelle with them? (Rising Intonation)

He just won first place!

Why teach intonation?• Awareness of intonation aids

communication.(Difference it makes to meaning)

• Incorrect intonation can result in misunderstandings, speakers losing interest or even taking offence!

• As important as word choice

What are the main means of improving intonation while teaching pronunciation?

• the best way to achieve quick result is constant practicing

• start listening to speech of native speakers as frequently as possible.

• the most important is not only to listen to pronunciation, but to repeat phrases and try to imitate the speakers.

THAT’S ALL and Thank you for

listening!!