Dynamic approach to rhytmization and intonation phrasing

In accordance with the cognitive aim of modern linguistics the focus of researchers’ attention is now gradually displaced from isolated phrase or sentence to systemic analysis of connected text, and from the latter to a man who generates and comprehends such a text. Methodological changes are accompanied with the revaluation of the linguistical status and functional role of concrete language means, especially those which are directly connected with the communicative intention of a speaker and the process of its realization. Prosodic speech cha-racteristics and their language correspondence give us a bright example of such revaluation: if 10-15 years ago one should prove the necessity of including speech prosody into the field of linguistic analysis, now problems of speech prosodic organization become predominant not only in phonetics but are also involved in such branches of linguistics as syntax and semantics. At the same time many problems of phrase and text prosody remain unsolved, need theoretical comprehension and experimental research in the frame of integral speech generation model which must explain in particular the sound patterns of a speaker activity. The opposite relation is also important: prosodic studies can lead to more thoughtful and concrete conceptions of speech generation and understanding. [16,82]report is devoted to the processes of Rhythmization and Intonation Phrasing in connected speech transmitting complex information content. Both processes lead to a text division which I will call further “Rhythmo-Intonational Phrasing” or just prosodic phrasing for shortness. More concretely, this type of prosody phrasing is the division of a text into frag-ments of different size (from a rhythmical period or phonological phrase = syntagma in Russian Phonetics, up to a paragraph or supraphrase unit). This division is performed by a speaker with specific sound means on the base of text semantics and syntax and in accordance with the universal principles of speech rhythmic organization.an illustration let us consider an example from Russian. It is taken from the book of R.I. Avanesov “Russian literary pronunciation”, with the author’s tran-scription which reflects the different degree of breakness (discontinuity) of speech at prosodic boundaries. As we see, Avanesov distinguishes 4 degrees of prosodic breakness: |, /, //, // / in accordance with the increasing degree of breakness.Russian letters in this example designate syntagmas (or rhythmic periods).Russian sentence illustrates the hierarchical nature of prosodic phrasing. The idea of the hierarchy is that each unit is made up of some number of units from the next lower level. This example shows also that there can be distinguished at least two basic layers: rhythmic layer with its basic unit = syntagma and proper intonation layer with its basic unit = intonation phrase.many phenomena in language and speech, Rhythmo-Intonational Phrasing can be viewed and analyzed statically and dynamically. Under the static approach the researchers’ attention is concentrated on the the task of revealing the inventory of prosodic means which create the division and on the nature of correspondence between prosodic constituents, semantics and syntactic structure of already “made" utterance (sentence). The static approach is preserved even in generative phonology where the above mentioned correspondence is described by a set of special mapping rules which operate within limits of a whole, already made sentence. Assuming that there is a good deal of variability in a speaker’s choice of prosodic phrasing some authors working in generative tradition offer special restructuring rules to derive the variants of phrasing from some initial prosodic structure which is called basic or neutral prosodic form of the sentence. These restructuring rules account of such relevant phrasing factors as the length of prosodic constituents, presence of contrastive prominence, speech style, speaking rate and so on. [17,58]

Segmental and supersegmental phonology

basic trends in the study of the language.sounds and their study.of speech. Basic methods in the study of articulation.basis.approach to the study of speech sounds. Basic methods of the acoustic analysis of speech sounds.approach to the study of speech sounds. Phonetics and phonology. Schools of phonology. Generative phonology. The essentials of cognitive phonetics.trend in the study of speech sounds.of the classification of the sounds. The sound system of English. (a contrastive description with that of Armenian).. The notion of coarticulation, its mechanism. Types of coarticulatory processes. Coaticulation as a universal phenomenon. Basic coarticulatory trends in English. Coarticulation of consonants. Coarticulaton of consonants and vowels. Elision.phonology.as a phonetic and phonological unit. Basic universals in phonotactics. English syllabification.stress, its nature. Types of word stress, basic tendencies in its incidence.functions of word stress.. Phrasal stress. Intonation. Rhythm.of prosody. Main distinctive differences of the prosodic systems of English and Armenian.stress, its nature, degrees and function..

Conclusion

Intonation is a language universal. There are no languages which are spoken without any change of prosodic parameters but intonation functions in various languages in a different way.are two main approaches to the problem of intonation in Great Britain. One is known as acontour analysis and the other may be called grammatical.first is represented by a large group of phoneticians: H. Sweet, D. Jones, G. Palmer, L. Armstrong, I. Ward, R. Kingdon, J. O'Connor, A. Gimson and others. It is traditional and widely used. According to this approach the smallest unit to which linguistic meaning can be attached is a tone-group (sense-group). Their theory is based on the assumption that intonation consists of basic functional "blocks". They pay much attention to these "blocks" but not to the way they are connected. Intonation is treated by them as a layer that is superimposed on the lexico-grammatical structure. In fact the aim of communication determines the intonation structure, not vice versa.grammatical approach to the study of intonation was worked out by M. Halliday. The main unit of intonation is a clause. Intonation is a complex of three systemic variables: tonality, tonicity and tone, which are connected with grammatical categories. Tonality marks the beginning and the end of a tone-group. Tonicity marks the focal point of each tone-group. Tone is the third unit in Halliday's system. Tones can be primary and secondary. They convey the attitude of the speaker. Hallyday's theory is based on the syntactical function of intonation.founder of the American school of intonation K. Pike in his book "The Intonation of American English" considers "pitch phonemes" and "contours" to be the main units of intonation. He describes different contours and their meanings, but the word "meaning" stands apart from communicative function of intonation.is wide agreement among Russian linguists that on perception level intonation is a complex, a whole, formed by significant variations of pitch, loudness and tempo closely related. Some Russian linguists regard speech timbre as the fourth component of intonation. Neither its material form nor its linguistic function has been thoroughly described. Though speech timbre definitely conveys certain shades of attitudinal or emotional meaning there is no good reason to consider it alongside with the three prosodic components of intonation, i. e. pitch, loudness and tempo.. Sokolova and others write that the term prosody embraces the three prosodic components and substitutes the term intonation. It is widely used in linguistic literature, it causes no misunderstanding and, consequently, it is more adequate. They feel strongly that this term would be more suitable for their book too, but, unfortunately, it has not been accepted in the teaching process yet.foreign scholars (A. Gimson, R. Kingdon) restrict the formal definition of intonation to pitch movement alone, though occasionally allowing in variations of loudness as well. According to D. Crystal, the most important prosodic effects are those conveyed by the linguistic use of pitch movement, or melody. It is clearly not possible to restrict the term intonation by the pitch parameters only because generally all the three prosodic parameters function as a whole though in many cases the priority of the pitch parameter is quite evident.is no general agreement about either the number or the headings of the functions of intonation which can be illustrated by the difference in the approach to the subject by some prominent Russian phoneticians. T. M. Nikolayeva names three functions of intonation: delimitating, integrating and semantic. L. K. Tseplitis suggests the semantic, syntactic and stylistic functions the former being the primary and the two latter being the secondary functions. N. V. Cheremisina singles out the following main functions of intonation: communicative, distinctive (or phonological), delimitating, expressive, appellative, aesthetic, integrating. Other Russian and foreign phoneticians also display some difference in heading the linguistic functions of intonation.. Crystal distinguishes the following functions of intonation.function's most obvious role is to express attitudinal meaning - sarcasm, surprise, reserve, impatience, delight, shock, anger, interest, and thousands of other semantic nuances.function helps to identify grammatical structure in speech, performing a role similar to punctuation. Units such as clause and sentence often depend on intonation for their spoken identity, and several specific contrasts, such as question/statement, make systematic use of it.function helps draw attention to what meaning is given and what is new in an utterance. The word carrying the most prominent tone in a contour signals the part of an utterance that the speaker is treating as new information.function helps larger units of meaning than the sentence to contrast and cohere. In radio news-reading, paragraphs of information can be shaped through the use of pitch. In sports commentary, changes in prosody reflect the progress of the action.function helps us to organize speech into units that are easier to perceive and memorize. Most people would find a sequence of numbers, for example, difficult to recall. The task is made easier by using intonation to chunk the sequence into two units.function, along with other prosodic features, is an important marker of personal or social identity. Lawyers, preachers, newscasters, sports commentators, army sergeants, and several other occupations are readily identified through their distinctive prosody.

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Appendix 1

In a statement, the intonation falls on the last syllable of a sentence.

There is a similar pattern in an information (WH) question; these structures are identified by both the question word that starts the sentence and by the intonation pattern.

An information question contrasts with a “yes/no" question in which the intonation rises on the final syllable.

In a series, the first item (s) has rising intonation and the last one has falling intonation.

Appendix 2

The three RP vowels [ ], [ ],. [ ] correspond to only two vowels in GA - [a] and [ ]. This combined with the articulatory differences between RP {d] and GA [a] and a difference in vowel distribution in many sets of words makes it very complicated. The following chart vividly shows it: