The Ascending Head. The Sliding Head. The Scandent Head.

THE ASCENDING STEPPING HEAD

Ascending heads are the opposite of descending ones: their first stressed syllable is low in the pitch, each following stressed syllable being higher than the preceding one; thus the stressed syllables form an ascending sequence.

The fact that each following stressed syllable is higher in pitch than the previous one can be shown in different ways:

a) m m m m

b) m m m m

E.g.: They didn’t seem to notice us.

I can’t have possibly left my handbag at home.

If the stressed syllables of the Ascending Head take a static tone pitched higher than the preceding one and the intervening unstressed syllables are said on the same pitch as the stressed syllable to which they are attached (usually the preceding one), the head is called the Ascending Stepping Head.

If the voice moves up by steps and the intervening unstressed syllables continue the rise the head is called Rising.

If the voice moves up by slides the head is called Climbing; unstressed or partially stressed syllables glide up too.

The Ascending Head is typically combined with the nuclear high falling and high rising tones. The last syllable of the head does not, as a rule, reach the high pitch zone, where the nuclear tone starts from. The degree of prominence of the nucleus seems to be greater than in the Stepping Descending or, especially, High Level Heads. Such an effect is produced by the gradual rise of the pitch throughout the head reaching its climax on the nucleus. As a result of the increased weight of the nuclear word, utterances pronounced with the Ascending Head cause the listener to anticipate the main point of information at the end. Due to these peculiarities the given prosodic pattern imparts specific modal connotations to an utterance. There is often a feeling of impatience, surprise, protest, disbelief or, vice versa, a note of enthusiastic approval and support. E.g.:

1. – Why didn’t you tell me the news.

. – I didn’t know a bout it my self.

2. – Can you wait for another five minutes.

– I’ve been waiting for an hour and a half.

THE SLIDING HEAD

The Sliding Head is formed by a sequence of slides, i.e. downward pitch movements associated with each fully stressed syllable of the head. E.g.:

You can’t have possibly meant it.

The stressed syllables in the Sliding Head may start on the same pitch or form a gradual ascent or descent. The last type seems to be the most frequent.

In the Descending Sliding Head each preceding stressed syllable starts on a higher pitch than the following one, the first full stress beginning on the highest pitch. However, the descent in pitch is not step-like as in the Stepping Head; it has a jumpy or wave-like, character. Such an effect is due to the pitch contrast between the end of the preceding stress-group and the beginning of the following: the latter is higher in pitch as a result of a downward pitch movement inside the preceding stress-group realized either as a glide on the stressed syllable (when there aren’t any unstressed syllables following) or as a jump in pitch between the stressed syllable and the following unstressed ones.

Partially stressed syllables in the given type of head behave in the same way as the unstressed ones: they gradually carry the pitch down, so that hen a full stress is given only to the first notional word and the other prenuclear notional words are given partial stresses (one-peak head), the pitch pattern of the head is falling rather than sliding. E.g.:

I can’t · wait here all day.

The Sliding Head is widely used in lively, expressive conversation and in reading emotionally coloured texts.

The Sliding Head is most frequently combined with the Falling-Rising Tone, although it may occur with any other nuclear tones as well.

THE SCANDENT HEAD

The head of an utterance is sometimes formed by a sequence of ‘ climbs ’, i.e. upward pitch-changes associated with each of the stressed syllables which are indicated with an upward arrow ( m). These upward pitch movements are realized either inside the stressed syllable (when no unstressed syllables follow) or on the unstressed syllables which are then pronounced on a higher pitch than the preceding stressed syllable. E.g.

I’d rather go to the movies.

Partial stresses in the given type of head behave in the same way as the unstressed syllables: they continue the rise of the voice initiated on the preceding stressed syllable.

The initial points of the stressed syllables most typically take the same level above or below the middle of the voice-range (the Level Scandent Head). The stressed syllables may also form a descending or an ascending contour (the Descending Scandent Head and the Ascending Scandent Head, respectively).

Utterances pronounced with the Scandent Head sound lively and expressive. The exact modal connotation depends on the nuclear tone and the communicative type of an utterance. Combined with the Low Rise in imperative utterances this head has a reassuring, encouraging meaning and is often used in speaking to children. E.g.

Don’t for get to share with your brothers.

The Scandent Head before a falling nuclear tone may express the speaker’s irritation or, vice versa, cheerfulness and interest (the exact meaning is always clear from the context). E.g.

I hate doing nothing.

It’s a useful thing to re member.

Theory Sheet 2:

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14