Speech melody (pitch)

This component of intonation is characterized by changes in the voice pitch. It is present in every word (inherent prominence) and in the whole sentence. It serves to delimit sentences into sense groups, or intonation groups.

The main three pitch parameters are the variations in the direction of pitch, pitch level and pitch range. It is not possible to separate pitch and loudness in creating the effect of accentuation that is why they should be viewed together.

One of the stressed syllables, which has the greater prominence than the others, forms the nucleus, or the focal point of an IP. The nucleus is a strongly stressed syllable which is generally the last strongly accented syllable of an intonation pattern and which marks a significant change of pitch direction. The nuclear tone is the most important part of the IP. A sense group can be formed by one word, or by a group of words. A change of pitch within the last stressed words of a sense group is called a nuclear tone. The basic nuclear tones are the following:

1. The Low (Medium) Fall. The voice falls from the low (medium) pitch level to the bottom of the pitch.

2. The High Fall. The voice falls all the way down from a high to the lowest pitch.

3. The Rise-Fall. The voice usually rises from a medium to a high pitch level and then quickly falls to a low pitch.

4. The Low Rise. The voice rises from a very low to a medium pitch level or a little higher.

5. The High (Medium) Rise. The voice rises from a medium ore high pitch level and moves up to the top of the voice.

6. The Fall-Rise. The voice first falls from a medium or high to a rather low pitch level then rises to a medium pitch.

7. The Rise-Fall-Rise. The voice rises from a very low pitch level, moves up to a medium (or high) one, falls deep down, then rises again.

8. The Mid-level maintains a level pitch between high and low, the voice neither rises nor falls.

The heads

The head is an extremely flexible segment. There are three major groups of heads: Descending, ascending, level.

I. Descending Heads. In descending heads the voice usually moves down from the medium or high pitch level to the low. The first stressed syllable of the head is the highest, the following stressed syllables carry the pitch lower.

1. The Stepping Head. The syllables can move down by steps. Unstressed or partially stressed syllables are pronounced on the same note as the preceding step.

2. The Falling Head. The stressed syllables move down by steps but intervening unstressed syllables fall down, continuing the descending direction.

3. The Scandent Head. There are cases when unstressed or partially stressed syllables move up. They are pronounced higher than the stressed syllables.

4. The Sliding Head. The voice moves down by slides within stressed syllables. Unstressed or partially stressed syllables between the slides usually continue the fall. If the slides are of a rather wide range and reach the bottom of the pitch we have an intonation pattern with several high falls within it.

5. The Broken Descending Head. Within long intonation groups gradually descending heads may be broken by the special rise – accidental rise. This happens when one of the syllables is pronounced on a high pitch level than preceding. The broken descending head is very common when one particular word in a phrase should be singled out.

The descending heads occur before any nuclear tone except the mid-level tone.

II. Ascending Heads. The 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.

1. The Rising Head. The voice moves up by steps and the intervening unstressed or partially stressed syllables continue to rise.

2. The Climbing Head. The voice moves up by slides. Unstressed or partially stressed syllables glide up to.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14