Université de Savoie UFR-LLSH LCE1 UE 103 Lecture: Phonetics & Phonology

Université de Savoie UFR-LLSHLCE1 UE 103Lecture: Phonetics & Phonology Alice Henderson ahend@univ-savoie.fr Office 812

Content of the 5 lectures 1) Introduction, Phonemes 2) Sounds in context, connected speech 3)Stress, accent & rhythm 4) Intonation 5) Conclusion

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

Homework from Lectures 2 & 3 • Elision in send, sent • Likely/possible assimilation, elisions, linking • Word stress rules • Stress in compounds

Elision in send, sent • Rules for elision of final /d/ and /t/

Likely/possible assimilation, elisions, linking • Types of assimilation: /d/, /t/, /n/ • Linking: C+V, V+V, C+C

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

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

Two-word verbs Separated: stress both You’re winding me up She shut the computer down

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

Stress & Pitch • Stress in English: a syllable is • Longer • Louder • On a higher pitch

Stress & Accent • Stress is not the same as accent • Accent marks the beginning of a change in tune

Regular rhythm in music: stress •••••••••••• // •••••••••••• • 4 stresses per breath group

Regular rhythm in music: accent •• • • •••••••••• // •••••••••• • 5 stresses • 2 accents

Accent, Tune & Pitch • A change in tune involves a change in pitch

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

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

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.

Broad focus • I’ve lost my keys. • My trainleaves on Monday the fourth. • She’s lost her bag.

Narrow focus • End: We’re not ready! • Middle: What’s happened in here?! • Beginning: Here they are!

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.

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.

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.

The Nucleus • Syllable where the tune begins to change (rise, fall) • Look at the « green » words (accent)

Exercises from the Web • Web Tutorials at University College of London • Focus

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

Where do we pause? • Before conjunctions & prepositions • Before relative clauses • Between grammatical units (subject, predicate) • At punctuation • UCL Web tutorials: Chunking

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Basic Tunes • French: predominantly  (rising) • English: predominantly  (falling) • English also uses: Fall-rise & rise-fall

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?

Basic tunes •  (rising): Message is • « Open » • Incomplete • Uncertain •  (falling): Message is • Closed • Final • Certain

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

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?

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?

Tunes in questions:  asking for repetition • A: How many people did you invite? • B: Fifty. • A: Fifty? • B: Yes, fifty.

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.

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.

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

Focussing Function • « accentual function »

Contrastive Stress • I must find SOME • I must FIND some • I MUST find some • I must find some

Université de Savoie UFR-LLSH LCE1 UE 103 Lecture: Phonetics & Phonology