Organising Function

Speaking about the organising function of intonation we mean the following things: the role of intonation in the process of integration and delimitation and its role in structuring the information content of the text. All these processes take place simultaneously.

When we speak about delimitation we mean that intonation can divide the text into smaller units: phonopassages (or dialogue blocks), phrases, intonation groups. Integration consists in tying together smaller units and organising them into bigger ones: intonation groups – phrases – phonopassages – text.

Let’s speak in more detail about how intonation conveys the information content of textual units. Intonation highlights the most important information in an utterance which helps to distinguish which information is new. On the other hand, it also shows which information is known to the listener from the text, the context or the situation. It is called given information. Intonation helps to distinguish between new and old, the theme and the rheme. New information is called the rheme, old or given information is called the theme.

Peter went to Paris.

In most cases (80%) the last accented syllable (and, therefore) word is the most prominent in English. This position of the nuclear tone on the last notional word is viewed as the basic, neutral, unmarked.

In actual speech the rheme and the nuclear tone may be placed differently and such position is called marked.

Did Peter go to Paris?

No, Mark went to Paris.

What does the information content of an utterance depend on or, in other words what determines the position of the nuclear tone (focus position)? Generally, it is the verbal context (the preceding text).

Another source of information about the placement of sentence stress is the speech situation.

Is intonation always in balance with the syntactic structure and lexical composition of an utterance?

Intonation is instrumental in conveying meanings, shades of meanings. Interestingly, it may be in balance with the syntactical structure and lexical composition of an utterance, but it may also neutralize or even contradict them.

Isn’t it ridiculous! (question pronounced as an exclamation).

How very nice! (sounds negative in contrast to the grammar structure and the wording).

Would you mind doing it now (hostility is expressed by intonation only).

This ability of intonation is often used to convey irony.

Another important function of intonation is pragmatic. The pragmatic function of intonation consists in the use of intonation with a specific purpose, in other words intonation serves to actualize the speaker’s pragmatic aim.

It should be mentioned that the pragmatic function of intonation is realized when either the intellect or the emotions of the listener are affected. As you know English intonation is capable of expressing a variety of attitudinal and emotional meanings. From your course of practical phonetics you know that each nuclear tone and intonation pattern is associated with a certain attitudinal colouring.

The car is very expensive.

When pronounced with Sliding Head and High Fall it sounds more emotional and it affects the listener’s perception.

Emphatic pauses are often used to make the sentence more expressive.

The car is very|expensive.

Variations in pitch, loudness and tempo serve to make the utterance more expressive and thus they realize the pragmatic function.

In conclusion I’d like to say that the pragmatic function of intonation can be traced in all kinds of communication. The examples that have just been given illustrate pragmatic use of intonation in interpersonal communication. Admittedly, it is especially relevant in declamatory style and in public speaking. Sometimes it is referred to as rhetorical function. I’d like to remind you of some phrases from the lectures you studied last year:

As you all have seen from the handouts that you have in front of it.

The future of English is the theme now.

Besides conveying information intonation is used to affect, impress the listeners and so it perform the pragmatic function. It’s pretty obvious that it is not only what you say but also how you say it that makes communication effective.

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