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The Functions of Intonation

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Mohammed Jasim Betti Zainab Kadim Igaab

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 The Functions of Intonation

Prof. Dr. Mohammed Jasim Betti

and

Prof. Dr. Zainab Kadim Igaab

Native speakers use verified pitch movements to express their attitudes

and moods. This variation in pitch movement (the form of intonation)
helps speakers achieve certain functions. Some of these functions are
clarified when we listed the different English tones. In general, the
functions achieved by intonation can be attitudinal, grammatical,
accentual and discourse ones:

1. The Attitudinal Function

Intonation helps us express our feelings and emotions. Thus, the tone
used with 'good morning', when somebody is sick or miserable, for
instance, is different from the one, which accompanies that utterance
when that somebody is 'happy' or 'satisfied'

In this regard, such factors as loudness, speed, voice quality, pitch

movements, pitch range, key, facial expressions, gestures and body
movement help a great deal in the speaker's expression of his sentiments.
Phoneticians isolate three distinct types of suprasegmental variables:

Sequential Features

The sequential features are the ones, which appear in sequence with other
elements. They occur one after the other. These include:

A. Pre-heads, heads tonic syllables and tails

B. Pauses

C. Tone-unit boundaries

Prosodic Features
The prosodic features are the constantly observable and present features
in speech:

A. Voice quality

B. Speed

C. Loudness

D. Key

E. Width of pitch range

2. The Grammatical Function

Intonation helps a great deal in grammar. This is not surprising as

native speakers use an interrelated system of features and relationships
and that is why grammarians refer to mixing levels.

In general, intonation helps in the following grammatical areas:

i. It helps in disambiguating sentences. By an exact positioning of tone

unit boundary, intonation can resolve the ambiguity of some utterances
like:

a. Those who sold quickly made a profit

b. Those who sold |\ quickly made a profit

ii. It helps in separating various syntactic units of grammar by different

tone unit boundaries:

|\ In the bus) I met him |

iii. It helps in differentiating restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses.

iv. It associates between the type of sentence and the different tone unit
used. The falling tone is used with statements, wh- questions and tail
questions the speaker is sure about, the rising speakers-no questions and
question tags the speaker is not sure about, and so on.
3. The Accentual Function

The term accent has something to do with stress. Stress is very much
interrelated with intonation. If the tonic syllable is unstressed, there is no
tonic syllable and no tonic unit at all.

The proper position of the tonic syllable is at the last lexical word (the
word which contains a literal or dictionary meaning) in the utterance (end
focus). In spite of that native speakers may sometimes verify this position
by any other one or with a word, which is a function word. This is
performed for two prime reasons: to show emphasis and contrast.

4. The Discourse Function

Discourse is a term used to denote spoken and written utterances of

any length. It is mainly related to communicative competence. Intonation
helps in discourse in the following areas:

A. Attention focusing in that the placing of tonic stress on the appropriate

syllable of one particular word in the tonic unit is based on the speaker
intention and his focus. This is achieved by intonation, among other
grammatical devices. The tonic syllable is one, which the speaker feels to
be very important.

B. Intonational subordination in that the speaker may signal a particular

tone unit to be of comparatively low importance and as a result
importance is given to the other tone units.

C. Conversational behavior in that the sequences of tone units in the

speaker's speech can reveal information carried out by intonation.

D. Conversational interaction in that intonation plays a very important

role in this regard, among the other important prosodic features. The
speech between doctors and patients, teachers and pupils, etc. varies a
great deal and this is made clear in intonation, amongst the other devices.
 References

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Betti, Mohammed Jasim (2002c). English Phonetics. Thi-Qar: Al-Hadir.

Betti, Mohammed Jasim and Marwa Jubair Mugeer (2016) Tones in

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Betti, Mohammed Jasim and Ulaiwi, W. A. (2018). Stress in English and
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