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Université de Savoie UFR-LLSH LCE1 UE 103

Lecture: Phonetics & Phonology

Alice Hendersonahend@univ-savoie.frOffice 812

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Content of the 5 lectures

1) Introduction, Phonemes

2) Sounds in context, connected speech

3) Stress, accent & rhythm

4) Intonation

5) Conclusion

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Outline, Lecture 4

Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3 Stress, accent, pitch, tune Sentence emphasis & focus Chunking & pausing Intonation: Definition & basic tunes Functions Conclusion Bibliography

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Homework from Lectures 2 & 3

Elision in send, sent Likely/possible assimilation, elisions, linking Word stress rules Stress in compounds

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Elision in send, sent

Rules for elision of final /d/ and /t/

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Likely/possible assimilation, elisions, linking

Types of assimilation: /d/, /t/, /n/

Linking: C+V, V+V, C+C

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Word Stress Rules

2-syllable words– Nouns & adjectives: usually on 1st syll.– Verbs: often on 2nd syllable

3+-syllable words: 3 major categories– Stress on ending: -ee, -eer, -ese, -ette, -esque, -

ique– Stress 1 syll. before ending: -ic, -ion, -ity, …– Stress 2 sylls. before ending: -ate, -ize, -ary

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Stress in Compounds

Stress in compound nouns Stress in 2-word verbs

– Separated: stress both– Together: one stress is lost

Stress the adverb/preposition when it is at the end of a tone unit

When a noun object follows, EITHER the verb or the adverb/preposition can be stressed, according to the rhythm

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Two-word verbs

Separated: stress both

You’re winding me up

She shut the computer down

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Two-word verbs

Together: one stress is lost Stress the adverb/preposition when it is at the end of a

tone unit– If you hope to break through– The plane’s about to take off!

When a noun object follows, EITHER the verb or the adverb/preposition can be stressed, according to the rhythm

– She’s taken up stamp collecting– We’ve run out of bread– Turn up the heat* I’ve just put away my books // I’ve put away my books

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Outline, Lecture 4

Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3 Stress, accent, pitch, tune Sentence emphasis & focus Chunking & pausing Intonation: Definition & basic tunes Functions Conclusion Bibliography

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Stress & Pitch

Stress in English: a syllable is– Longer– Louder– On a higher pitch

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Stress & Accent

Stress is not the same as accent

Accent marks the beginning of a change in tune

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Regular rhythm in music: stress

•••••••••••• // •••••••••••• 4 stresses per breath group

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Regular rhythm in music: accent

• • • •

•••••••••• // •••••••••• 5 stresses 2 accents

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Accent, Tune & Pitch

A change in tune involves a change in pitch

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Outline, Lecture 4

Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3 Stress, accent, pitch, tune Sentence emphasis & focus Chunking & pausing Intonation: Definition & basic tunes Functions Conclusion Bibliography

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Sentence emphasis …

Stress content words: nouns, main verbs, negative auxiliaries, adverbs, adjectives

Use weak forms for structure words: pronouns, prepositions, articles, ‘to be’ verbs, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs

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Tune & sentence emphasis

Tune change starts on one of the last content words …. usually.

Speakers can choose which information to highlight by choosing where to start changing the tune

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Focus on last content word

What’s the matter? Where are you going? Put some milk in it. Could we go home? How have you been? Let’s have a look at it.

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Broad focus

I’ve lost my keys. My train leaves on Monday the fourth. She’s lost her bag.

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Narrow focus

End: We’re not ready!

Middle: What’s happened in here?!

Beginning: Here they are!

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Try it …

A: Are you from France? B: No, I’m from Sweden. A: How long have you been here? B: I’ve been here for a month. A: What are you studying? B: Physics. A: Do you find physics difficult? B: Yes, a little.

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Try it …

A: Are you from France? B: No, I’m from Sweden. A: How long have you been here? B: I’ve been here for a month. A: What are you studying? B: Physics. A: Do you find physics difficult? B: Yes, a little.

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Now try this one ….

A: Do you think the food here is expensive? B: Not really. A: Well, I think it’s expensive. B: That’s because you eat in restaurants. A: Where do you eat? B: I cook at home. A: I didn’t know you could cook?! B: Well, I can’t, so I just eat bread and cheese. A: That’s so unhealthy! B: No it isn’t. And I like bread and cheese.

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Answers:

A: Do you think the food here is expensive? B: Not really. A: Well, I think it’s expensive. B: That’s because you // eat in restaurants. A: Where do you eat? B: I cook at home. A: I didn’t know // that you could cook?! B: Well, I can’t, so I just eat bread and cheese. A: That’s so unhealthy! B: Maybe, // but I like bread and cheese.

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The Nucleus

Syllable where the tune begins to change (rise, fall)

Look at the « green » words (accent)

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Exercises from the Web

Web Tutorials at University College of London– Focus

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Outline, Lecture 4

Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3 Stress, accent, pitch, tune Sentence emphasis & focus Chunking & pausing Intonation: Definition & basic tunes Functions Conclusion Bibliography

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Chunking & Pausing

The power of silence …. Signals « chunks » of meaning Chunks = thought groups, meaning units Chunks= words which go together to express

one idea or thought Pause + falling tune = end of a thought group

in English

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Where do we pause?

Before conjunctions & prepositions Before relative clauses Between grammatical units (subject, predicate) At punctuation UCL Web tutorials: Chunking

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Try this …

A: Who’s coming to the party tonight? B: Tom. A: Just Tom? B: No, Tom and Matt. A: No one else? B: Well, Sue’s coming, too. A: Alone? B: No, with Anne. A: So, that’s Tom and Matt and Sue and Anne. Is that it? B: Oh, and Stella. On her own. A: So, that’s Tom and Matt and Sue and Anne and Stella.

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Answers:

A: Who’s coming to the party tonight? B: Tom. A: Just Tom? B: No, // Tom and Matt. A: No one else? B: Well, // Sue’s coming, too. A: Alone? B: No,// with Anne. A: So, // that’s Tom and Matt // and Sue and Anne. // Is that it? B: Oh, // and Stella. // On her own. A: So, // that’s Tom and Matt // and Sue and Anne // and Stella.

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Try this one …

1a)The man and the woman dressed in black came out of the cinema.

1b) The man, and the woman dressed in black, came out of the cinema.

2a) Alfred said, « The boss is stupid. » 2b) « Alfred, » said the boss, « is stupid . » 3a) If you finish, quickly leave the room. 3b) If you finish quickly, leave the room.

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1a)The man and the woman dressed in black // came out of the cinema.

1b) The man,// and the woman dressed in black, // came out of the cinema.

2a) Alfred said, // « The boss is stupid. » 2b) « Alfred, » // said the boss, // « is stupid . » 3a) If you finish, // quickly leave the room. 3b) If you finish quickly,// leave the room.

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Outline, Lecture 4

Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3 Stress, accent, pitch, tune Sentence emphasis & focus Chunking & pausing Intonation: Definition & basic tunes Functions Conclusion Bibliography

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What is it? Why do we use it?

Rise & fall in pitch To express a range of meanings, emotions or

situations To add more meaning despite English’s fixed

word order

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Basic Tunes

French: predominantly (rising)

English: predominantly (falling)

English also uses: Fall-rise & rise-fall

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Tunes on a single syllable

Yes, No Speaker’s choice: vary pitch or not How many different ways can you say them?

How many different meanings can you communciate?

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Basic tunes

(rising): Message is – « Open »

– Incomplete– Uncertain

(falling): Message is– Closed

– Final– Certain

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Tunes in questions

Getting information Where do you live?

Where are you from? What do you do for a living?

Checking information « closed » messages, where you’re almost certain

about the information « open » messages, where you’re not very sure asking for repetition

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Tunes in questions: « checking » closed messages

You’re not from around here, are you? Presumably you know Jill then? Is that the station over there? You don’t play tennis, do you?

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Tunes in questions: « checking » open messages

You like chocolate, don’t you? That’s her new boyfriend, isn’t it? You’ve been to London before, right? You’ve skied before, haven’t you?

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Tunes in questions: asking for repetition

A: How many people did you invite? B: Fifty. A: Fifty? B: Yes, fifty.

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Try these …

This train is for Leeds, York, Darlington and Durham.

Can you give me a lift? // Possibly. Where to? No! Certainly not! Go away! Did you know he’d been convicted of drunken

driving? // No! If I give him money he goes and spends it.

He’s completely irresponsible.

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Answers:

This train is for Leeds, York, Darlington and Durham.

Can you give me a lift? // Possibly. Where to?

No! Certainly not! Go away! Did you know he’d been convicted of drunken

driving? // No! If I give him money he goes and spends it.

He’s completely irresponsible.

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Outline, Lecture 4

Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3 Stress, accent, pitch, tune Sentence emphasis & focus Chunking & pausing Intonation: Definition & basic tunes Functions Conclusion Bibliography

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Functions of intonation

Focussing function: to draw attention to important information, a deliberate choice by the speaker

Grammatical function: to distinguish grammatical categories of words and/or status of all or part of an utterance

Attitudinal function: a powerful tool for communicating our emotions

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Focussing Function

« accentual function »

Meet me at home at five

S S S

A

N

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Contrastive Stress

I must find SOME I must FIND some I MUST find some I must find some

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Contrastive Stress

SOME= important to find at least a bit FIND= verb is important MUST= absolute necessity of finding I= me and nobody else

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Grammatical Function

But often the grammar determines the placement of the nucleus

– Word classes– Nouns & noun phrases (compounds)– Syntactic distinctions

Probably the least important function Other clues help the listener to decode meaning *Remember: English is extremely redundant

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Grammatical Function

Word classes: Noun / Verb– IMport / imPORT– DIScount / disCOUNT– TAKE off / take OFF– DROP out / drop OUT

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Grammatical Function

Nouns & noun phrases (compounds)– GREENhouse / green HOUSE– TALLboy/ tall BOY– BLACKbird / black BIRD– BIGhead / big HEAD

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Grammatical Function

Defining & non-defining relative clauses Adverbials Vocatives & apositives **NOT on the exam

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Attitudinal Function

Neutral vs offensive/nasty/grumpy Positive vs negative Polite vs impolite Surprise Implication **NOT on the exam

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Attitudinal Function

Neutral vs offensive/nasty/grumpy– Would you like some help? No, thank you– How many times do I have to tell you

Positive vs negative– Shall we have dinner together then? Yes, fine– Oh what a lovely gift

Polite vs impolite– This is my book / no it’s not, it’s mine

Surprise– I hear they’ve had triplets

Implication (extra meaning to words)– What do you think of her partner? / Great

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Conclusion

Stress, accent, pitch, tune Sentence emphasis, focus Chunking & pausing: where, why Basic tunes of English & their functions

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Bibliography

Rogerson & Gilbert, (1990), Speaking Clearly, Cambridge University Press.

Roach, (1991), English Phonetics & Phonology, Cambridge University Press.

Notes from « Summer Course in English Phonetics », University College London, Summer 2004.