Features of English stress and intonation. English rhythm

This article will be devoted to phonetics, melody, understanding of speech and intonation pattern, tones and intonation scales in English language.

- This is a branch of linguistics that studies the structure of the language, as well as the sounds of speech. First of all, we are talking about words and sound combinations, thanks to which we can understand how the language works.

Without phonetics, it is impossible to understand how foreigners speak, because everything is based on oral and written speech, as well as work speech apparatus... Studying the elements language system, we can understand how words and sentences are composed, and what sound form they acquire. However, such an explanation of phonetics as a subject of study is incomplete. The main aspects of phonetics are as follows:

• articulatory;
• physical;
• phonological;
• perceptual.

Articulation aspect studies the sounds of speech from the point of view of its creation with the participation of the articulatory apparatus.

Physical aspect pays attention to sound as a vibration of air and notes its frequency, strength, duration.

Phonological aspect aims at the function of sounds in the language.

Perceptual the same aspect considers the perception of sounds by a person.

All about melody and how it affects speech understanding

Melody in English is the change in pitch of different syllables in a sentence. Changing the pitch is necessary in order to understand what types of sentences we are dealing with: interrogative, exclamatory, affirmative.

The melody of each language is built in a certain sequence, so it is a mistake to think that in each language you can adhere to the same scheme. So, the sentence "Hello, how are you?" in English and Russian will sound completely different. That is why it is often difficult to understand when a person first goes abroad. However, some similarities can still be found. We will talk about them below.

Tones in English

What are tones in English? Tone- This is a rhythmic-melodic pattern of speech, which periodically changes with the help of the frequency of the sound signal. In order to understand tones and intonation scales, we need to know what a syntagma is. This is a section of a phrase containing special intonation and bar stress. Pauses between measures are often not provided, and bar stress is not intense. What tones do we have to face in the English language? it Low Fall, High Fall, Low Rise, High Rise, Fall-Rise, Rise Fall and Mid-Level... What is each tone, in what situations it is necessary to use this or that tone, and how not to get confused in the tone system, we will figure it out below.

Characterization of tones in different types of sentences

It should be noted that the stress in English is placed on nouns, semantic verbs, adjectives, adverbs, numerals, interrogative pronouns, demonstrative pronouns that play the role of a subject, as well as possessive pronouns in absolute form. Auxiliary and modal verbs remain without stress, which do not begin a sentence, conjunctions, articles, other pronouns and particles.

What can you say about England?

In this sentence, 3 words remain stressed: what, say, England. All others are unstressed. That is why sometimes it is so difficult for us to understand foreigners: it seems that they are swallowing some words.

However, do not forget about logical stress, which makes the word stand out from the crowd. And that word can be anything you want to emphasize.

In affirmative sentences there is usually a low, descending tone that characterizes the phrase as calm, judicious.

She is a teacher. She can speak English and Spanish.

In imperative sentences both ascending and descending tone is used. If they are commands, instructions are in a descending tone, if a request is in an ascending tone. The same sentence may sound completely different, for example:

Close the window. - Close the window.

If the stress decreases towards the end of the phrase, you have an instruction or order in front of you. If the intonation rises, please.

Intonation in general matters pronounced in an ascending tone:

Can you come tomorrow?

Turnovers "there is", "there are" They do not stand out intonationally, however, if they start a sentence, the intonation after them begins to decrease, and if such a turn is in the middle of a sentence, intonation rises in front of it, and after it decreases.

Separated question consists of two parts. In the first part, to the point, the intonation is always going down, while in the second part everything depends on the speaker's opinion. If he is sure of the answer, then the intonation also goes down, if he is not sure and waits for an answer from the interlocutor, then the intonation goes up.

You’ll come to me, won’t you?

Alternative question has ascending intonation in the first movement and descending in the second.

Would you like juice or green tea?(The word "juice" is pronounced in an ascending tone, and "green tea" in a descending tone).

Special Issues represent a separate special group, since in Russian, asking the same question, intonation goes up, as a result of which we instinctively try to transfer a similar construction to English. BUT!

In English, a special question is pronounced in a descending tone:

What's her name?

What’s the time?

Exclamation sentences and interjections usually pronounced in a descending tone. In this case, they sound serious, weighty. Using a high, descending tone will give you less weight in your phrase, so you shouldn't shout.

Enumeration intonation always pronounced in an ascending tone up to the last word, which closes the group and is pronounced in a descending tone.

He knows English, German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese.

Appeal at the beginning of a sentence pronounced in a descending tone. A downward-upward tone can be used to draw attention. In the middle and at the end of a sentence, the address is unstressed and continues the general melody of the phrase.

What is intonation for?

When we talk about tones, we have to imagine what is intonation in English. Based on Sokolova's textbook, intonation is based on two functions:

• composite;
• distinctive.

The compound function defines the intonation that forms the sentence. Each sentence consists of one or more intonation groups. An intonation group is a word or a group of words that are characterized by a certain intonation pattern and are complete in terms of meaning:

It's nearly sixty.

As a matter of fact he's nearly sixty.

Intonation patterns containing several syllables consist of several parts: the pre-head, the head, the nucleus and the tail. That is, in such a picture there will certainly be some kind of introduction, the main part, the core and the so-called "tail".

« The pre-head"Indicates unstressed and semi-stressed syllables preceding" the head ".

« The head»Consists of syllables starting with the first stressed syllables and ending with the last stressed syllables. The last stressed syllable is called " the nucleus" (core). Unstressed and semi-stressed syllables following the nucleus are called " the tail».

Then don’t make so much fuss about it. Where “then” is the pre-head, “don’t make so much” is the head, “fuss” is the nucleus, “about it” is the tail.

The distinctive function is primarily responsible for the distinctive communicative types of sentences, the meaning of the sentence and for the emotions that a person expresses through speaking. The same word can have completely different meanings if it is pronounced with different intonation. The sentence “Don’t do that” can be directed to the listener, who must necessarily hear the phrase, or it can be pronounced with intonation going down, which will give the phrase a tinge of seriousness.

What is the intonation pattern?

Melody and stress are the two most important components of intonation. However, there is also “ pitch level”(Tone level), which can be divided into“ high ”,“ medium ”,“ low ”. Depending on the intonation pattern and the interval between the highest and lowest stressed syllables, "pitch" (tone) can be "normal", "wide" and "narrow".

What does the same " the nucleus"? From the last stressed syllable of the intonation pattern in which the change begins. “The nucleus” is usually the most important part in a sentence. The main information is concentrated on it, and the meaning of the whole phrase depends on it.

So, in English there is 8 nuclear tones:

• the Low (Medium) Fall;
• the High Fall;
• the Rise-Fall;
• the Low Rise;
• the High (Medium) Rise;
• the Fall-Rise;
• the Rise-Fall-Rise;
• the Mid-Level.

Now more about each of them.

The Low (Medium) Fall- the sound falls from the lower (or middle) level to the very bottom of the tone. The descending tone characterizes the completeness of the statement, the speaker's confidence.

The high fall- the sound constantly falls down from the moment of the high position to the lowest. A rising tone expresses a friendly tone, a lively interest.

The rise-fall- the sound periodically rises from the middle position to the upper level of the tone and then quickly falls to the very bottom. An ascending-descending tone conveys the stress of the word and carries a tinge of emotion.

The low rise- the sound rises from the lower position to the middle position or slightly higher. A low ascending tone emphasizes the incompleteness of the phrase, the speaker's uncertainty, the categorical answer.

The High (Medium) Rise- the sound rises from a middle or high position and moves up to the highest pitch. This tone is used if you do not understand what was said and want to clarify.

The fall-rise- the sound first falls from the middle or high position to the lower level of the tone, and then rises to the middle level. A downward-upward tone is necessary to express the degree of incompleteness or uncertainty. It is also used in case of expression of doubt or controversy.

The Rise-Fall-Rise- the sound rises from the very lower level tone, moves up to the middle position (or high), falls and then rises again.

The mid-level keeps the middle position between high and low pitch, the sound does not rise or fall. An even tone conveys indecision, unwillingness to focus on something.

Intonation scales in English

It makes no sense to consider intonation scales in English without the above tones, because only together they represent a special system that helps to understand the phonetics of the English language.

1. Gradually Descending Stepping Scale + Low Fall... This graded scale represents a decrease in the melody and level of stressed syllables, while unstressed syllables remain at the same height as the stressed ones coming behind. This construction is typical for narratives.
2. Broken Descending Stepping Scale + Low Fall... As in the previous case, a drop in intonation occurs here, however, in order to avoid monotony, some syllables should be pronounced above the previous syllable, as a result of which a certain rise is formed.
3. Sliding Scale + Fall-Rise... This construction, represented by descending pitch slides that begin with percussion and continue with unstressed syllables, is typical of everyday speech.
4. Scandent Scale + Low Rise... Such a scheme is typical for conveying the meaning of encouragement or comfort. The pitch fluctuates downward on stressed syllables and rises on unstressed syllables.
5. Ascending Stepping Scale + High Fall... In this case, stressed syllables form a gradual rise, located between unstressed ones. And the word being focused on is the most emphasized in the sentence.
6. Ascending Stepping Scale + High Rise... This type of scale and tone is typical for clarifying information, the main emphasis is on the most important word.
7. Low Level Scale + Low Fall... All syllables are pronounced almost at the same level in low register, there are no leaps upward. The design conveys discontent, sometimes hostility.
8. High Level Scale + High Fall... Unlike the previous example, all syllables are pronounced at the same level in high register, characterizing emotionally colored spoken language. Conveys positive emotions.

Do you know what most often betrays a Russian person abroad? You don't have to go over in your head all the known stereotypes about Russians abroad, everything is much simpler and more banal: intonation. To English speakers, our calm speech seems "flat" and "colorless". In this article, we will talk about the rules of intonation and how to train yourself to use them in practice. Let's try to sound like a native speaker.

The role of intonation in language

The main function of intonation is to convey the semantic shade of a phrase. Correctly chosen intonation helps the interlocutor to understand whether you are asking a question or affirming something, with what mood you speak, are you serious or joking, etc.

The intonation of the English language differs from the Russian intonation we are used to. Russian is less emotional than English, but we also use different intonations in conversation. We affirm something and give orders in an even voice, and make requests with a slight increase in tone. The difference is that in our country these increases and decreases are less pronounced than in English speech, therefore, the intonation of native speakers seems a little strange and feigned. In fact, an English speaker may not be a very emotional person, he is just used to speaking with an English intonation, which is characterized by constant ups and downs of tone. The intonation with which we are used to speaking seems to native English speakers "inanimate", too even, which gives the impression that we are bored talking with the interlocutor or we are behaving too arrogantly.

How important is intonation when learning English? In fact, incorrect intonation will not prevent the other person from understanding what you said. Even if you mumble monotonously, but at the same time pronounce the words correctly and form sentences correctly, they will understand you. But your English-speaking interlocutor will not be able to understand with what feeling and for what purpose you said this.

Remember the role of intonation in Russian. Simple question "How are you?" you can pronounce it in different ways and thereby convey to the interlocutor your feelings and your mood, for example:

• Smoothly say to the attendant "How are you?" when meeting with a not very close acquaintance just out of politeness. In fact, it will not even be a question, but an ordinary greeting phrase.
• Happy to ask "How are you?" from a friend who recently went through some difficult situation.
• Ask in a raised tone "How are you?" from a person who has been guilty before you. With a displeased tone, you hint to him that it is time to apologize for the mistake.
• It is joyful to exclaim "How are you?", Referring to a person who has just returned from a trip. By doing this, you let him know that you will listen to the story about the trip with pleasure.

Agree, after this example, intonation seems to us to be a more important part of the language learning process. Therefore, let's work on it so that your English-speaking friend does not consider you an indifferent interlocutor.

Intonation rules in English with examples

English intonation includes the following components: tone and tempo of speech, logical pauses, logical stress. With the rate of speech, everything is more or less clear: in a business setting it is customary to speak at a measured pace, then your speech sounds more confident, in an informal conversation we speak quickly, trying to convey information as soon as possible, sometimes “swallowing” parts of words.

As for the tone of the conversation, it can go down and up, this is called downward and upward intonation. Let's see when to use ascending intonation in English.

Raising the tone in English

Usually, the tone of intonation in English needs to be raised to show your interest, distrust, skepticism, and politeness. In doing so, you change the intensity of your voice to convey your feelings and meaning, for example:

↗Really? - Really?

This word can express your interest in the words, and doubt about what you heard, and ordinary politeness, if you want to show a boring interlocutor that you are listening to him, and not reflecting on the meaning of life while he speaks a fiery tirade.

We use ascending intonation in the following cases:

1. In a question that can be answered "yes" or "no":

   Do you like reading ↗books? - Do you like to read books?

2. In a request-sentence:

   Could you please ↗help me? - Could you help me?

3. After introductory words and adverbs at the beginning of a sentence:

   Sometimes ↗I read books. - Sometimes I read books.

4. When contacting someone:

   ↗Luke, ↘come here. - Luke, come here.

5. When listing each component of the list (except the last word in the list):

   I'm going to buy ↗chocolate, ↗meat, and ↘eggs. - I'm going to buy chocolate, meat and eggs.

6. At the beginning of the alternate question:

   Do you ↗work or ↘relax? - Do you work or rest?

7. In the dividing question, if you want to know the answer to it, and do not specify the information:

   You are a teacher, ↗aren’t you? - You are a teacher, aren't you? (That is, you do not know who the person works, express your point of view, but you do not know the exact answer to your question.)

Downgrade in English

Downward intonation in English is used in the following cases:

1. Upon approval:
2. In a special question:

   ↘Where are you? - Where are you?

3. At command or order. It is important not to confuse this case with a request. If you ask someone for something, you do not know whether he will agree to do it or not. In the case of an order or instruction, it makes no sense to raise the tone, giving it a questioning note. You already know that the command will be executed, so you are arguing rather than asking:

   ↘Help him. - Help him.

4. In an exclamation clause:

   How ↘interesting! - How interesting!

5. In the second part of the alternate question:

   Is it ↗Mary or ↘Sarah? - Is it Mary or Sarah?

6. In the dividing question, if you already know the answer to it, just clarify the information (in fact, you are claiming something):

   You haven’t bought any meat, ↘have you? - You didn't buy meat, did you?

We invite you to listen to the audio recording on the site usefulenglish.ru in order to understand how all the above rules are used in practice.

Boolean stress in English

You want to say the simple phrase "I see red apples in this picture" - "I see red apples in this picture." How can you put stress:

• I see red apples in this picture - I see red apples in this picture... You emphasize that you are seeing red apples, not green or yellow ones.
• I see red apples in this picture - I see red apples in this picture... You say you are seeing apples, not strawberries or peaches.
• I see red apples in this picture - I see red apples on this picture ... You focus on the fact that the red apples are in the painting, not in a vase on the table.
• I see red apples in this picture - I see red apples on this picture... You emphasize that you see red apples in this particular picture, and not some other.

As you can see, an elementary sentence can convey different information depending on which word the logical stress falls on. We offer you to watch an interesting video about logical stress in English:

How to develop English intonation

Intonation is one of the components of pronunciation, and learning the correct pronunciation is possible only with constant practice, so just learning the rules will not be enough. Let's see how to work out the correct intonation in English:

1. Hear and repeat after native English speakers

If you want your intonation to be natural, you need to learn from native speakers. Where you can listen to native speakers speak:

• In films and TV series produced in the UK and USA. From them you can learn not only intonation, but also the British or American accent, respectively. To improve your knowledge of the language in general, use our advice from the article "".
• On . In this case, the teacher will help you to get rid of the accent and "sound" correctly.
• In English speaking clubs or at a couchsurfer meeting in your city. Offline communication will definitely please you and will be great practical exercise for those who want to learn the intonation of the English language.
• In audio podcasts. Sites with materials you can find in the article "".
• In audiobooks. Read more about this in our article "".
• In various videos. In the article "" you will find a lot of useful and fascinating materials.

If your choice fell on online sources of live English speech, we advise you to work with them as follows. Listen to the recording, trying to accurately capture the intonation of the native speaker. Then turn on the video or audio again, pause after each line and repeat it after the hero, imitating his pronunciation. This way you will not only learn the correct intonation, but also learn useful phrases and words.

2. Watch tutorial videos

3. Do special exercises and tests for understanding English intonation

To learn something, you must first understand it. Therefore, we suggest that you first take a test to understand the intonation of native English speakers here englishmedialab.com. And also practice speaking correctly at phon.ucl.ac.uk, where you will see examples of different phrases with audio recordings and tests for them.

4. Use special textbooks to develop the correct English intonation

There are special textbooks in which you will find many exercises for training intonation in English. For example, take the Intonation in Context series by Barbara Bradford, Ship or Sheep by Ann Baker, or Work on Your Accent by Helen Ashton and Sarah Shepherd. There you will find many exercises for developing the correct intonation.

5. Consolidate theoretical knowledge in practice

Each rule we have outlined will be remembered when it is repeatedly applied in practice. You can make your own examples for each of the rules, or you can take any text or dialogue in English and try to read it with the correct intonation. But best of all "works" speaking practice... The more you communicate in English, the better you “feel” it, the easier it will be for you to learn the correct English intonation. Try to speak English at least 2-3 times a week, then theoretical knowledge will become practical.

6. Record your speech

Compare your speech to that of a native English speaker to spot errors in intonation. To do this, select a video, for example, a training video from Rachel or any other video where you can hear phrases with different intonations. Try to say phrases that sound in the video, and record them on a voice recorder. Then compare the two notes and note if you are intoning correctly in certain cases. Find your mistakes and work on them.

7. Look for analogies with the Russian language

To simplify the task, you can try to transfer the experience of using intonation in Russian speech to intonation in English. After all, you and I also say different phrases with different intonations. This is not to say that we are not emotional, just the Russian language presupposes in most cases a calm, even speech. Still, we raise our tone when we ask a question, and evenly state something. Therefore, before you say something in English, think with what expression you would say it in Russian.

As we found out in this article, incorrectly chosen intonation can distort the meaning of what is said, which is why it is as important a part of learning English as speaking and listening. Use the resources provided in this article, as well as read the article "", then the interlocutor will understand exactly what you want to say.

And if you want help you learn the intonation of the English language, we suggest registering at our school. Our competent teachers will help you start speaking correctly.

Before we start exploring the features English intonation, I propose to figure out what intonation is in general and why we need to devote our precious time to this topic.

If we take the definition from the dictionary, then intonation is a combination of such elements of speech as melodics, rhythm, tempo, intensity, timbre, accent, etc. That is, in simple words, intonation is the sound of speech. It is known that the same message of ours can plunge the interlocutor into sleep if our speech sounds monotonous, or, on the contrary, interest, evoke the emotions and feelings we need, if the speech sounds bright and expressive. In addition, using the intonation we need, we can give it a certain meaning and transmit different signals. We can ask softly or demand harshly. We can clarify the information or express surprise. We can show concern, insecurity, polite courtesy or disdain, persistence, contempt. It turns out that the meaning of our speech depends not only on the correctly chosen words and grammar, but also on the correctly chosen intonation.

As a rule, we pay great attention to studying sound system foreign language, we memorize a huge number of lexical units, we learn a foreign grammar, without thinking, at the same time that in a foreign language intonation also has its own rules, different from the rules of intonation native language... As a result, the language remains underexamined, which affects the quality of communication. Firstly, while listening, we lose sight of the semantic layer that is transmitted intonationally, and secondly, we transfer the intonation cliches of the native language into the English language, which leads to a distortion of the message, and, as a result, bewilderment and misunderstanding on the part of native speakers ...

In order to learn not only to speak English sentences and phrases, but also to make such sentences and phrases sound in English, we will analyze the features of English intonation in the elements of which it consists:

1) Rhythm 2) Phrasal stress 3) Melody of speech

Rhythm

To begin with, English speech has its own special rhythm, which is achieved through a certain arrangement of pauses in the utterance. In English speech, you cannot pause through every word - the statement loses its meaning and sounds, to say the least, strange. Native speakers put pauses between semantic segments. As a rule, in everyday speech, semantic segments in oral speech correspond to syntactic sections in grammar. In writing, the pause between syntactic segments is indicated by punctuation marks. V phonetic analysis pause looks like a vertical stick | inside a sentence and like two sticks || between sentences. So, following the syntax, a separate semantic segment can be distinguished:

1) Two simple sentences.

I remember this lady. It is Mrs. Brown.
I remember this lady || It is Mrs. Brown.

She loves flowers. Roses are her favorites.
She loves flowers || Roses are her favorites.

2) Equal sentences in complex-composed sentences.

I like to swim and she doesn "t.
I like to swim | and she doesn "t.

I know her but I don "t remember her name.
I know her | but I don "t remember her name.

3) Main and subordinate sentences in complex subordinate sentences.

You can go there whenever you want.
You can go there | whenever you want.

If I were you, I would tell her the truth.
If I were you | I would tell her the truth.

4) Appeal and main offer.

Mrs. Nelson, may I have a word with you?
Mrs. Nelson | may I have a word with you?

Nick, will you help me with this luggage?
Nick | will you help me with this luggage?

Excuse me, where is the bus stop, please?
Excuse me | where is the bus stop | please?

5) Introductory word or phrase and main sentence.

Frankly, I can "t remember her face.
Frankly | I can "t remember her face.

Actually, I "m busy tomorrow.
Actually | I "m busy tomorrow.

She, I must say, has always been strange.
She | I must say | has always been strange.

6) Parts of the dividing question.

You didn "t work hard, did you?
You didn "t work hard | did you?

She is very clever, isn "t she?
She is very clever | isn "t she?

You won "t tell her the truth, will you?
You won "t tell her the truth | will you?

The syntactic setting of a pause, however, is not an immutable law. In speech, there may be cases when the meaning of the same statement depends on the setting of a pause. Therefore, a pause is also found between phrases and words:

Help keep the dog off!
Help keep the dog off!
Help keep the dog!

Help! Keep the dog off!
Help | keep the dog off!
Help! Keep the dog out!

You can have cheese salad or quiche.
You can have cheese salad | or quiche.
You can take cheese salad or quiche.

You can have cheese, salad or quiche.
You can have cheese | salad | or quiche.
You can take cheese, salad, or quiche.

Or, for example, we can say the following statement, pause in five different ways, depending on which shade we want to convey:

I don "t know who she is.
I don't know who she is.

I | don "t know who she is.
I | I don't know who she is.

I don "t | know who she is.
I am not | I know who she is.

I don "t know | who she is.
I don’t know | who is she.

I | don "t know | who she is.
I | don't know | who is she.

Phrasal stress

So, rhythm is the alternation of semantic segments in speech. Within any semantic segment there is always a word that is highlighted more strongly than others. This emphasis on certain words is called phrasal stress. Phrasal stress always highlights the most important, important word in a semantic segment. To be more precise, the stressed syllable of such a word is pronounced stronger. How to understand which word in the semantic segment is the main one? First, the importance of a word can be determined syntactically. If the word refers to significant words, that is, it is noun, verb, adjective, adverb, then this word is important. If the word refers to official words, that is, is pronoun, preposition, conjunction, modal or auxiliary verb, article then it won't be important. This type of phrasal stress is called syntactic phrasal stress:

You must "go there.
Harry is an engi "nee r.
Isn "t she "go rgeous!
He is ex "tre mely strong!

Secondly, an important word can be highlighted in a semantic phrase. logically. Thus, we highlight the word we need that we want to emphasize in accordance with the purpose of our statement:

We are planning to "fly to Italy.
We plan to fly to Italy.

We are "pla nning to fly to Italy.
We are planning fly to Italy.

"We are planning to fly to Italy.
We we are planning to fly to Italy.

In addition, phrasal stress serves not only to highlight a word in accordance with the purpose of the statement, but can also affect the meaning of the statement:

I like thewhite "house.
I love this white house. (house color)

I work in the "White House.
I work in the White House (US government)

The stressed syllable of the main word in the semantic segment is called the core. All stressed and unstressed syllables that precede the nucleus are called pre-nuclear part, and all those following the nucleus are called the tail. The tail syllables are unstressed by definition.

Wow!
(core)

Great!
(core)

How very strange.
(pre-core and core)

He "s just mad!
(pre-core and core)

She "s go rgeous.

It "s ri di culous.
(prenuclear part, nucleus, tail)

Help me!
(core and tail)

Stop him!
(core and tail)

It was so sil ly if you must know.
(prenuclear part, nucleus, tail)

Melody of speech

Now that we have figured out the rhythm and phrasal stress, we have learned what the core of a semantic phrase is, we can proceed to the analysis of, perhaps, the very complex element English intonation, we will focus on the melody of speech. Melody of speech is an alternation of raising and lowering the tone of the voice. The beginning of an increase or decrease the voice just falls on the core of the semantic phrase. This change in tone of voice conveys a certain meaning, as was said at the very beginning of the topic. Incorrect creation of the melody of speech in English can lead to serious misunderstandings. There are two basic tones in English:

• top-down (default used in complete statements, exclamations, orders, and special questions)
• ascending (default used in unfinished statements and simple questions)

In addition, there are various combinations of the two basic tones:

• descending-ascending
• ascending-descending
• high descending
• low ascending

From the second list it is necessary to select downward-upward tone as more independent.

Downward tone

A falling pitch is characterized by a high or middle pitch at the beginning (pitch) and a low pitch at the end (falling). If the phrase consists only of a core or ends with a core, then the height and fall fall on it. If there is a tail after the core, then the height falls on the core, and the fall falls on the tail. Descending tone is conventionally indicated in the letter \

• \ Wow!
• It was \ great!
• It was so \ silly if you must know.

The descending tone is used in:

1. Statements that convey a complete, confident, assertive, or authoritative tone.

Liza is from \ New-York.
She arrived \ yesterday.
She is going to be our \ advisor.

2. Exclamations. Exclamations can take the form interjections, statements, general or special questions.

\ Wow!
How very \ strange!
Wasn "t it \ crazy!

3. Motives expressing a straightforward demand or order.

Keep \ silent!
Stop \ panicking!
Sit down and \ listen to me!

4. Greetings expressed in a formal, businesslike tone.

\ Hello!
Good \ afternoon!
\ Hi!

5. Appeals to a person in order to show that we have recognized him.

\ John, I "m glad to see you here!
Mr. \ Nickson, it "s so good you" ve come!

6. Expressions of sincere, genuine gratitude.

\ Thank you very much.
\ Thank you.

7. Special questions, spoken in a formal, business-like tone.

How \ old are you?
When did you \ arrive?
Why didn "t you \ talk to her?

8. In general questions (yes-no questions) with an insistent, slightly threatening tone.

Did \ you take my passport?
Are you taking me for \ granted?

9. Answering general questions.

Were are you from? I "m from \ London.
How old are you? I "m \ twenty-three.

10. Objections expressed in a friendly tone.

You didn "t call her. No, I did.
She won "t go there. Yes, she will.

11. In dividing issues, insisting, demanding consent tone.

You didn "t work \ hard, \ did you?
We "ll talk about it \ later, \ won" t we?

12. In dividing matters that are part of an exclamation or command.

The weather is \ wonderful, \ isn "t it?
You "ll go and bring me what I \ ask, \ won" t you?

13. In shortened questions, such as "really?", In order to emphasize skepticism and sarcasm.

I love you so \ much! \ Do you?
She said that she was very \ busy yesterday. \ Was she?

14. In shortened questions expressing exclamation.

She is a very clever \ woman. Yes, \ isn "t she!
We really \ thrashed them this time. \ Didn "t we just!

15. Farewell in order to get rid of the interlocutor on the type "all conversation is over", "we have nothing more to talk about."

Rising tone

A rising tone is characterized by a low tone at the beginning and a high tone at the end (rise). If the phrase consists only of a core or ends with a core, then the low tone and rise fall on the core. If there is a tail after the core, then the low tone falls on the core, and the rise on the tail, and the peak of the rise falls on the last syllable in the tail. The rising tone is conventionally indicated in the letter /

• / Me?
• Are you / fine?
• Do you know / all of them?

The rising tone is used in:

1. Utterances of the type of feedback, conveying an encouraging, encouraging, conducive to further communication tone.

Have a cup of \ tea. That "s very / kind of you.
You better take your \ umbrella. Oh, don "t / worry. I" ll be / fine.

2. Prompts in the form of requests or orders expressed in a friendly, encouraging tone.

Don "t / worry!
Come to / daddy!

3. Greetings expressed in an encouraging, encouraging tone, conducive to further communication

/ Hello!
Hi, how / are you?

4. Appeals to attract attention.

Professor / Stone, may I have you / attention please?
/ Darling, I "d like to \ talk to you now.

5. Expressing gratitude in a routine manner.

Could you pass me the / salt, please? / Thank you.
\ This way, please. / Thank you.

6. Clarifying questions like "excuse me?" or "echo".

Excuse \ me, where is the \ station, please? / Sorry?
Hello, may I speak to the / manager? / Pardon?
You "ll have to do that \ again. / Again?

7. Declarative questions, that is, questions that have the form of a statement, but pronounced like a question.

You "ll arrive / late?
She is going to cook / pasta?

8. General questions by default.

Are you / busy?
Will you go to the / party?
Can I take your / laptop?

9. Objections expressed in a defensive, unfriendly tone.

You haven "t bought the \ milk! Yes, I / have.
Stop answering \ back! But I / don "t.

10. Specific questions expressed in a friendly, interested, sympathetic, encouraging manner.

Where are you / from?
How long are you going to stay in / London?

11. Dividing questions, if they are a continuation of the main phrase and are not separated into a separate intonation phrase.

She is pretty, / isn "t she?
It is snowing, is it?

12. Dividing questions, which are a continuation of the main phrase expressing the urge in a friendly form or the form of a request and are not singled out as a separate intonation phrase.

Will you open the window, / won "t you?
Will you come to daddy, / won "t you?

13. Shortened questions like "really?" "really?" expressing both boredom, routine and surprise.

She is a \ lawyer. / Is she?
I "m going \ abroad. / Are you?

14. Dependent sentence, if it comes after the main statement. The main statement in this case has a descending tone.

I "d \ reject it, if I were / you.
She "ll \ kill you, when she" s / back.

15. Introductory circumstances, if they come after the main statement. The main statement in this case has a descending tone.

I was \ busy yesterday, / actually.
They are \ not going to help you, / frankly speaking.

16. Farewells expressing good wishes.

/ good bye!
/ bye-bye!

Downward-upward tone

A descending-ascending tone is characterized by a rather high onset (pitch) then the tone drops (falls) then the tone rises again (rise). If the phrase consists only of a core or ends with a core, then the sequence of height, fall and rise falls on the core. If there is a tail after the kernel. Either the height falls on the core, the rise falls either on the core or between the core and the tail, and the rise falls on the tail, with the peak of the rise falling on the last syllable in the tail. The descending-ascending tone is conventionally indicated in the letter \ /

• \ / Mine?
• He \ / says so.
• Well she \ / works very hard.

Downstream-upstream is used in:

1. Statements that contain uncertainty, a reservation.

Well I know her \ / face, but I don "t remember her \ name.
She is a good \ / sales-manager, though she doesn "t get along with the \ colleagues.

2. Expression of partial agreement or partial disagreement.

You are from London, / aren "t you? Well, \ / Martha is, but I" m from \ Manchester.
The party was \ great! Well the \ / food was great, but the evening was \ boring.

3. Answers to common questions that express a shaky objection

Are you going to contradict? Yes, I am (but not now)

4. Cautionary motives.

\ / Watch out!
Be \ / careful!

5. Negative motives.

Don "t open the \ / door!
Don "t tell me I was \ / wrong!

6. Appeals to attract attention.

Professor \ / Stone, may I have a word with / you?
\ / Jane, let me show you \ something.

7. Statements in order to politely correct the interlocutor, point out to him his mistake. If such a directive sounds in a downward tone, it sounds rude.

She is coming on \ Monday. No, on \ / Tuesday.
It "ll take you only a few \ minutes. No, about \ / half an hour.

8. Limitations of any item.

She didn "t do it because she was tired. She didn" t do you for some other reason.

9. Dependent sentences.

If I were \ / you, I "d \ reject it.
When she "s \ / back, she" ll \ kill you.

10. Expressions of introductory circumstances, if they come before the main statement. The main statement in this case sounds in a descending tone.

\ / Actually, I was \ busy yesterday.

11. Negative statements.

She wasn "t very \ / pleased.
I don "t think that" s \ / true.
It "s not just \ / me.

12. Expressions of goodbye in the form of see you

Well, in this overview lesson, we looked at the most important points regarding the features English intonation. You probably already realized that this topic is quite extensive and in order to acquire the necessary skills, careful work with textbooks on phonetics is necessary. However, in the initial stages, the material outlined above will be more than enough. Most importantly, do not forget to analyze a new grammatical topic to analyze each structure in terms of intonation and apply the rules of intonation in practice. The same work must be done when working with new text and, especially with audio material, where you can clearly hear how English speech sounds. Over time, you will find that it is not only easier for you to understand English by ear, but also better at "sounding" in English.

During the conversation, an Englishman or an American with almost one hundred percent guarantee will be able to determine that you are not a native English speaker and not even a German or French. Despite the fact that you perfectly pronounce all the sounds, correctly construct sentences and speak eloquently, you will still be calculated. What's the matter?
The fact is that, starting to study a foreign language, we shift the model of intonation, rhythm, phrasal and logical stress that are inherent in the native language. Such cliches can distort the meaning of the message, which will lead to misunderstanding. The Russian language is very melodic in nature, while English has a certain sound system and a rigid rhythmic pattern. In this article we will reveal to you the secrets of such an important component as melody and intonation and give some examples for practical consolidation.
Melody of speech is an alternation of ascending and descending tones. Usually, the increase or decrease in tone falls on the main word of the sentence - the core (its stressed syllable):

Can you hear me? - Can you hear me?
It's so gor geous! - It's so beautiful!

In English, two basic tones are distinguished, which in turn can make up various combinations:

descending tone - for clarity, we suggest using the icon \
rising tone - /

Downward tone

A descending tone is typical for affirmative complete sentences, special questions, exclamation and imperative structures. It consists of a high pitch at the beginning and a fall at the end (after the core). To make it easier for you, use the stairs. Get on the top step and go down with each stressed syllable. It is important to mean that not all words in a sentence will be stressed: service parts of speech, such as prepositions, non-negative forms of the verb to be, personal pronouns are not stressed without a particular reason. It should also be remembered that all syllables after the nucleus are defined as unstressed.

Don’t \ look at me like that... (a phrase in italics goes after the kernel and makes up the tail of the sentence, so it is unstressed).

Completed statement:

He will come \ tomorrow.
Mary is her \ daughter.

Special questions (formal tone, not emotionally colored):

What is your \ name?
Do you have a \ credit card?

Exclamations / Demands or Orders:

\ Great!
Shut up and \ listen to me!

Greetings / goodbyes / addresses:

Good \ evening!
\ Bye!
\ Liza, you look so \ fine.

Objections in a friendly tone:

Will you come? - \ No, I \ won’t.

General questions (yes / no questions) in an irritated, threatening tone / sarcasm (meaning “yes it can't be”):

Do you \ understand me?
Are you \ bulling me?
I'm so happy! - \ Are you?

In dividing questions with a ponytail:

He is your brother, \ isn’t he?
You don’t like red, \ do you?

Rising tone

An ascending tone lends an emotional tone to the statement, often of approval or a friendly mood. Since sentences convey the speaker's attitude to what is happening, an upward tone is used to attract attention:

/ Jack, do you / listen to me?
/ Hello! How / are you?
/ Don’t worry. I'll be / fine.
/ Bye.

General issues:

Do you / love me?
Are you there?

Clarification / echo questions:

What time is it now? - / Pardon?
Can you rewrite it? - / Rewrite?
Say it again. - / Again?

Questions with "wrong" / right word order (this is often found in colloquial speech):

You’ll / call him?

For specific questions expressing emotional interest (friendliness, empathy, encouragement):

What is your / name?
What are you / reading?

Water words (circumstances) that come after the main sentence:

I don’t \ like it, / really.
I forgot it, / actually.

Downward-upward tone.

The most common combination of the two basic melodic patterns in the English language. Let's conditionally mark this figure on the letter with a tick V... The fall falls on the core, the rise on the last syllable in the tail. Most often, this type of intonation conveys softening, doubt, uncertain objection or disagreement of the speaker, a desire to attract attention in the address:

V Mr. Potter, are you there?

I guess I V know her.

Will you do it? - No, I V won’t.(I won't do it yet)

Negative motives / motives with caution:

Don’t go V there.
V Watch out!

An offer aimed at delicately correct the error of the interlocutor... If you use a downward tone, the statement will sound very rude. The same goes for negative declarative sentences. A downward-upward tone softens the sentence:

It will cost about 10 dollars. - V 100 dollars, actually.

He doesn’t like it very V much.
I don’t V think so.

Parting in the shape of V See you!

Thus, once again we want to draw your attention to the fact that the descending tone is cold and formal, the ascending tone is sensual and benevolent, the descending-ascending tone is balance, delicacy.
Mastering these intonation patterns will take a lot of practice. Listen to English speech and speak up more! We wish you every success!

Victoria Tetkina

INTONATION

Alternating high and low tones, i.e. consecutive raising and lowering of the voice is called intonation ... Intonation is a complex unity of the pitch of the voice tone (melody), the power of pronouncing words (phrasal stress), timbre, tempo and rhythm.

In the English language, intonation plays a very important role, as it gives the sentence semantic completeness, as well as a different emotional color.

Knowledge of the intonation features of the English language and the ability to design your speech in accordance with them are no less important thancorrect pronunciation (articulation) sounds.

Intonation highlights the logical center of the utterance and creates the emotional background of the communication (communication) process.

Means of conveying attitude to the subject of expression and emotional state speakers have their own specific features in each of the languages. Ignorance of these features or inability to reproduce them in speech creates communicative and psychological barriers when communicating with a foreign owner.

You can only master intonation skills practicing: listening to and imitating correct English speech. However, basic theoretical knowledge is also required. They help in working on intonation without auditory support and facilitate self-control.

Let's pay attention to the fact that both in Russian and in English, depending on the type of utterance, two main melodies are used. Completeness of thought and categoricalness of the statement is expressed in a descending tone(Falling Tone) ↘ , while incompleteness of thought, doubt, indecision is expressed in an ascending tone(Rising Tone) ↗.

Depending on the semantic coloring of the statement, one or another tone is used.

For example, in the sentence"It’s hot ↘ today, ↘ isn’t it?" we are talking about the fact that both interlocutors know that it is hot today. This is a statement, and the speaker only wants to confirm his statement. This is just an exchange of views, so a descending tone is used at the end of the sentence.

And in the sentence “You are a ↘ doctor, ↗ aren’t you?” the speaker is not sure whether the doctor is the interlocutor or not, and asks to inform him about it. Therefore, the sentence is pronounced with an intonation of uncertainty, i.e. with a rising tone.

The main thing in English is the tone at the end of the sentence. If at the end of a semantic group (before a pause) in the middle of a sentence, the tone depends on the speaker's individual assessment of the content, then at the end of a sentence it obeys certain rules that have developed in the process of language development.

Raising or lowering the voice at the end of a sentence is used in speech to express type proposals, including its functional role, i.e. to express an order, request, question, approval, etc.

For example: Let’s ↘ go.

This statement, spoken in a descending tone, expresses a categorical sentence. The degree to which the tone is raised or lowered depends on emotional coloring statements.

It is typical for the English language that categorical statements, orders, questions starting with interrogative words, affirmative exclamations are pronounced with a descending tone. Non-categorical statements expressing doubt, regret, uncertainty, etc., requests, general questions, exclamations of an interrogative character are pronounced with an incoming tone.

Melodic types of English sentences

In terms of intonation, there are several types of sentences in English.

1 narrative sentences

Narrative sentences, which are complete utterances, are pronounced withdescending intonation.In sentences of this type information is simply communicated (in general).

For example: This is a ↘ box. The box is ↘ big.

For example: Of ↘ course.

↘ Sure.

↘ Certainly.

I don’t ↘ agree with you.

3. Orders and categorical suggestions

For example: ↘ Don’t do it.

↘ Listen.

Give me your ↘ book.

Say it a ↘ gain.

Let’s ↘ go.

4. Requests and Polite Suggestions

Narrative requests and polite sentences are usually spoken withraising your voice.

For example: Come ↗ in.

↗ Take it.

Sit ↗ down.

5. Polite requests in the form of a question

Polite requests, expressed in the form of a question, are made withrising intonation.

For example: May I come ↗ in?

Shall I ↗ read?

Can I open the ↗ window?

Can I speak to ↗ Ann?

6. Greetings at the meeting

Meeting greetings are pronounced withlower voice.

For example: Good ↘ morning.

Good ↘ afternoon.

Good ↘ evening.

7. Familiar friendly greetings

Familiar-friendly greetings, as well as statements expressing joy, surprise, can be pronounced withrising tone.

For example: He ↗ llo!

Good ↗ morning!

8 greetings when meeting in the form of a question

Such greetings are pronounced withlower voice.

For example: How do you ↘ do?

How ↘ are you?

9 farewell formulas

Farewell formulas can be pronounced withraising your voice.

For example: Good ↗ night!

Good ↗ bye!

See you to ↗ morrow!

See you ↗ soon!

10. Affirmative exclamations

Affirmative exclamations are pronounced withlower voice.

For example: What a ↘ pity!

What a lovely ↘ day!

It’s really ↘ nice!

11.General Yes / No Questions

Questions of this type are spoken withraising intonation.

For example: Is it a ↗ desk?

Do you live in ↗ Moscow?

Do you like ↗ tea?

Have you got a ↗ sister?

12. Questions starting with interrogative words

These questions are called (Special Questions). They are pronounced withlower voice.

For example: What’s your ↘ name?

Where do you ↘ live?

Who is your ↘ friend?

Where are you ↘ from?

INTONATION EXERCISES

1. Speak the following messages with descending intonation

It’s a ↘ desk. It's a ‘big ↘ desk.

It's a ↘ sea. It’s a ‘deep ↘ sea.

It's a ↘ tent. It’s a ‘little ↘ tent.

It's a ↘ text. It's an ‘easy ↘ text.

It's a ↘ cat. It’s a ‘black ↘ cat.

(‘Dash denotes phrasal stress)

2. Pronounce the following imperative sentences in a descending tone.

'Read the ↘ text. 'Give me a ↘ pen.

‘Come ↘ here. 'Write the ↘ test.

'Wash your ↘ hands. ‘Do your ↘ home work.

'Open the ↘ window. ‘Close the ↘ door.

‘Ask ↘ Peter. 'Write the dic ↘ tation.

3. Say the following general questions (requiring a Yes / No answer) in increasing intonation

'How much is ↗ it? 'Is it ↗ heavy?

'Is it a ↗ chair? 'Is it ↗ nice?

'Is it a ↗ lamp? 'Is it ↗ black?

'Is it a ↗ hat? 'Is it ↗ clean?

'Is it a ↗ ship? 'Is it ↗ tasty?

'Is it a ↗ kitchen? ‘Is she ↗ kind?

'Is it an ↗ apple? 'Is he ↗ good?

'Is she ↗ teacher?

‘Is he a ↗ doctor?

4. Speak the following specific questions in a descending tone

‘Where is your ↘ bag?

‘Why do you ↘ cry?

'Whose bags are ↘ these?

'Where are the ↘ flowers?

‘Who is that ↘ girl?

'Who is your ↘ classmate?

‘What ↘ time is it?

‘When do you get ↘ up?

‘What is your phone ↘ number?

IMPACT

There are 3 types of English stress:

a) verbal; b) phrasal c) logical

Verbal stress is the emphasis on a syllable in a word. In English, in most two-syllable words, the stress falls on the first syllable. In transcription, the stress is depicted by the sign[ ‘ ] before the stressed syllable, for example:[‘Meni] - a lot.

A word spoken in isolation is always stressed. The stress can have a meaningful meaning, for example, in Russian: castle - castle ; in english mankind - humanity; [‘Mænkaind] - men, male part of the population.

One of the peculiarities of the English language, which is unusual for native Russian speakers, is the presence of a large number of words with two accents, for example: revolution [, reve ’lu: ʃ n], operation [, ɔ pe’ rei ʃ n]. The correct pronunciation of such words is important for the correct rhythmic organization of speech.

Phrazov stress is the stronger pronunciation of some words in a sentence compared to others. V English sentence under stress are usually significant words having lexical meaning: nouns, adjectives, semantic verbs, numerals, adverbs, interrogative and demonstrative pronouns. Service words are usually unstressed: articles, conjunctions, prepositions and auxiliary verbs, as well as (unlike the Russian language) personal and possessive pronouns.

For example: Help me! [‘Help mi:] - Help me!

The sentence should distinguish logical stress, with the help of which a particular word is highlighted, acquiring a large semantic weight. Logical stress can fall on any word of the sentence.

For example: Help me - Help me (and not someone else).

In English, as well as in Russian, the logical stress may not coincide with the phrasal one.

RHYTHM

Rhythm - it is the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in speech. Russian speech is not characterized by a uniform rhythm, and the rhythmic organization of speech is manifested only in poetry. Mastering the skills of the rhythmic design of an utterance is, therefore, a serious problem when studying English pronunciation which is characterized by tendencies towards precise, even rhythm.

The rhythm of English speech is characterized by the fact that stressed syllables in a sentence are pronounced at more or less equal intervals of time. Therefore, the speed of pronouncing unstressed syllables depends on how many unstressed syllables are between two stressed syllables: the more unstressed syllables, the faster they will be pronounced.

The rhythm in a sentence can be compared to waves. If the time intervals are depicted with arcs and connect the volume peaks with them, then we will see that the intervals between the loudness peaks are practically equal.Stressed syllables in a sentence are pronounced with greater vocal strength, i.e. the syllables highlighted in this way sound louder. For example: An ‘English’ lesson is ‘easy.

Rhymes and Twisters

If many knew what many men know,

If many went where many men go.

If many men did what many men do,

The world would be better. I think so. Don’t you?

Betty bought blue blanket for her baby boy.

Joe gave a low groan as he fell over the stone.

A black cat sat on a mat and ate a fat rat.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

A sailor went to sea to sea what he could see

But all he could see was sea, sea, sea.

Try as I might, I couldn’t hide my delight at the sight.

I'd drive five miles.

I'd drive five miles on Friday night.

I’d drive five miles on Friday night tj see a fight.

She sells sea-shells on the sea shore;

The shells she sells are sea-shells I'm sure;

And if she sells sea-shells on the sea shore,

Then I'm sure she sells sea shore shells.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.

A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked.

If Peter Piper picked a pecked a pickled pepper,

Where's the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?

A noise annoys an oyster, but a noisy noise annoys an oyster more.

Paul called from the hall that he’d slipped on the floor and couldn’t get to the door.

It's sad the weather's bad.

Have a look at the book I found near a brook and gave to our cook.

Pear pudding hot, pear pudding cold,

Pear pudding in the pot nine days old.

Some like it hot, some like it cold,

Some like it in the pot nine days old.

Humpty-Dumpty sat on the wall,

Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall;

All the King's horses and all the King's men

Couldn’t put Humpty-Dumpty together again.

Rain, rain, go away.

Come again another day.

Little Johnny wants to play.

If all the world were apple-pie and all the sea were ink,

If all the trees were bread and cheese, what should we have to drink?

It’s enough to make an oldman scratch his head and think.

If you, Sandy, have two candies, give one candy to Andy, Sandy.

If you, Andy, have two candies, give one candy to Sandy, Andy.

Robert Rowley rolled a round roll round.

A round roll Robert Rowley rolled round.

Where is the round roll Robert Rowley rolled round?

That’s the man that sat on my black hat in the tram.

He's a bad man. That’s a fact.

Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

The bells of london

“Oranges and lemons”, say the bells of St. Clement's.

“Halfpence and farthings”, say the bells of St. Martin’s.

“You owe me ten shillings”, say the bells of St. Hellen’s

"When will you pay me?" say the bells of Old Bailey.

“I’m sure I don’t know”, say the Great Bell at Bow.

In English, as in Russian, only to an even greater extent, the pronunciation of a vowel sound in a stressed syllable differs - strongly and distinctly, and in an unstressed syllable - weakly, with the loss of sound characteristic features (qualitative reduction), sometimes with its reduction longitude (quantitative reduction). The final stage of sound reduction is its complete loss from the spoken word (zero reduction).

The process of qualitative reduction of vowels in an unstressed syllable led to the appearance of a neutral sound [ q ], which replaced all other vowel sounds, except for the phoneme [ I].

As a result of the reduction, most English service words have two forms of pronunciation: full (under stress) and reduced (both forms are presented in transcriptions of English-Russian dictionaries).

The full forms are used in the shock position, and the reduced ones in the unstressed position. This applies primarily to all service words - articles, auxiliary and modal verbs, conjunctions and prepositions, as well as often to personal and possessive pronouns and adverbs. In an unstressed position (and this happens almost always), they are pronounced in a weak form, separate sounds become more concise and less distinct. Speech in which all words are pronounced accurately and clearly will sound completely unnatural.

For example (in transcription, the first form is full, the second is reduced):

Articles: a [eI, q], an [x, q], the [DJ, DI, Dq];

Prepositions: of [Ov, qv], for [fL, fq], too [tH, tu, tq], etc.

Conjunctions: and [xnd, qnd], but [bAt, bqt], that [Dxt, Dqt], etc.

Quantitative reduction is typical for long vowels. For example the pronoun me pronounced under stress [ mJ ], and in an unstressed position in fluent speech [ mI].

Zero reduction is also reflected in the letter: instead of a dropped letter expressing any sound in full form, an apostrophe is put: I "m late. [ aIm leIt] - I'm late.

So allunstressed words: articles, prepositions, conjunctions, particles, etc. - pronounced together (together) with the stressed word with which they are associated in meaning, and the vowel sounds in them are reduced.

For example, the continuous pronunciation of a semantic verb followed by a personal pronoun:

I "see him [aI" sJhIm]. - I see him .

You "help her [ju" helphW]. - You help her.

The noun and the related preposition (prepositional group) are pronounced together, without a break in breathing: to facts [tq "fxkts] - facts, for tents [fq" tents] - for tents, of tests [qv "tests] - about tests ... But if the preposition appears at the end of a sentence or before an unstressed personal pronoun at the end of a sentence, it retains its full, albeit unstressed form: Look at them ["luk xt Dqm] - Look at them.

The definite article is pronounced [ Dq] or [DI ] - before words starting with a vowel: the step [Dq "step] - step, to the end [tq DI" end] - for this purpose ; the indefinite article a (an) is pronounced as a neutral sound [ q (qn)]: a plan [q "plxn] - plan, an oak [qn" ouk] - oak.

If the first of two adjacent words has a final letter r , and the subsequent begins with a vowel, then when reading they are connected by the sound [ r ], which helps to pronounce two vowels together: fo r a plan [fqrq "plxn] - for the plan, fora mile [fqrq "maIl] - mile.

Unionand [ qnd] - and, and, pronounced very briefly, without stress and together, in one breath, with the words that he connects: a readeranda writer [q "rJdqrqndq "raItq] - reader and writer.

4. The intonation of the sentence.

Intonation is a complex unity of the pitch of the voice tone (melody), the power of pronouncing words (stress), the speed of pronunciation and timbre, which serves as a means of expressing thoughts and the speaker's attitude to the content of the statement.

Each language is characterized by intonation inherent only to it, the mastery of which is necessary condition teaching communication skills.

The most important components of intonation are melody, stress and rhythm.

4.1. Melody.

Melody is a sequential change in pitch of different syllables of a sentence. The most important is the change in the pitch of the last syllables in the sentence, expressed as a fall or rise in pitch. This is what indicates the purpose or purpose of the phrase: a message, a question, an order, a request, an exclamation.

The descending and ascending tones of the English and Russian languages ​​basically coincide in their meaning:downward toneexpresses the relative completeness of the statement, categorical, andrising tone- indicates the incompleteness of the statement, the absence of categoricality.

Decreasing and raising the tone is characteristic only for the most significant stressed words.

1 Downward tone... The first stressed syllable of the semantic group is pronounced evenly and in the highest tone, forming the beginning of the melodic scale with a gradual drop in the voice tone up to the last stressed syllable. In ordinary, emotionally uncolored English speech, a gradually descending scale is used.

All initial unstressed syllables are pronounced with a gradual increase in pitch to the pitch of the first stressed syllable, which is usually pronounced even and as high as possible.

In the future, each syllable of the descending scale is pronounced either at the same level as the previous one, or slightly lower. The last stressed syllable in a sentence is pronounced in the lowest tone. If it is followed by unstressed syllables, then they are pronounced at the lowest possible voice level, which is almost never used in Russian speech.

Simple, categorical statements, orders, questions that cannot be answeredYesorNo, exclamations are pronounced in a descending tone.

2 Rising tone... An ascending or ascending tone is also a descending series, but endingraisingvoices on the last stressed syllable.

An ascending tone is used in statements requiring continuation and completion of thought, in requests, at the end of general questions, to which an affirmative or negative answer can be given (you can answerYesorNo).

Let's take two sentences as an example: I" like the" new↓ film [aI "laIk Dq" njH "fIlm] I love this new movie.- the sentence expresses certainty and categoricality (descending tone). And second:" Do you" like the" new film? ["du jH" laIk Dq "njH" fIlm] Do you like this new movie?- the sentence expresses a question, uncertainty (rising tone).

Alternative questions (questions of choice) are pronounced with an increase in tone in the first part (before the unionor [ L] or) and a fall in the second.

4.2. Phrasal stress.

Phrasal stress is the articulatory emphasis of some words in a semantic group (syntagma) among others.

A semantic group is a word or a group of words in a sentence, which is further indivisible without losing the semantic connection between words. One semantic group is separated from another by a change in the melody and, usually, by a pause of varying length. A sentence can consist of one or several semantic groups (syntagmas).

Phrasal stress is usually received by the most important in content, the so-calledsignificant words- nouns, adjectives, numerals, semantic verbs, adverbs, interrogative and demonstrative pronouns.

The stress usually does not fall onservice words- auxiliary verbs, linking verbs, prepositions, conjunctions, particles, pronouns (except demonstrative and interrogative), articles. All unstressed words are pronounced together with the stressed word with which they are associated in meaning. Vowels or syllables that fall into an unstressed position in a sentence are pronounced as neutral vowels or drop out altogether.

The phrasal stress of each language has its own specific characteristics, so personal and possessive pronouns in Russian usually receive phrasal stress, and in English they are pronounced, as a rule, without stress.

Along with the phraseological stress in English speech, there is also a logical stress, which is the intonational emphasis of usually one word that expresses the most important thing in the message. For listeners, this is usually some new information that was previously unknown to them. Any words, both significant and service ones, can be under the logical stress.

4.3. The rhythm of the sentence.

A group of syllables consisting of one stressed syllable and the unstressed syllables surrounding it is called a rhythmic or accent group. This group should be pronounced as contiguous as possible, as one polysyllabic word.

In English, unstressed syllables between stressed syllables generally tend to adjoin the preceding stressed syllable. However, they adjoin the subsequent shock, when they stand at the beginning of a semantic group or in those cases when it is necessary to emphasize the semantic connection of an unstressed word with the subsequent stressed one.

The rhythm of English speech is characterized by a tendency to alternate stressed syllables of the semantic group with unstressed ones and pronounce these stressed syllables at more or less equal intervals.

The speed of pronouncing unstressed syllables depends on how many unstressed syllables are between two stressed syllables: the more there are, the higher the speed of their pronunciation. Therefore, unstressed words in English are barely audible to a foreigner.

Each semantic group has its own rhythm, depending on the degree of semantic load, in comparison with other semantic groups of the statement.

Compliance with a similar, purely English rhythm of speech is achieved by continuous, without a pause, pronouncing unstressed syllables, followed by a stressed syllable within one rhythmic group. Inspiration in colloquial speech is done only between rhythmic groups, and inside all the syllables are pronounced "in one breath."

Read continuouslythe following word combinations:

1 article, pronoun, preposition+ noun (possibly with a definition to it):

a∪ book, the∪ desk, this∪ book, my∪ old∪ bag, by∪ the∪ car, near∪ the∪ town, on∪ the∪ large∪ table

2 particle to with infinitive: to∪ be, to∪ make, to∪ take

3 auxiliary and modal verbs: they∪ will∪ be∪ having, Anna∪ was∪ going

4 conjunctions and prepositions with the surrounding parts of speech: black∪ and∪ white, about∪ a∪ week,

before∪ he∪ goes, when∪ I∪ came∪ home, if∪ you∪ are∪ ready

5 introductory there+ form of the verb to be: there∪ is, there∪ are, there∪ were

6 predicate+ circumstance or addition: listen∪ to∪ the∪ radio, go∪ to∪ school, write∪ a∪ letter,

7 pronoun, noun+ verb: you∪ go, Nick∪ would∪ have∪ written

8 difficult adverbs: at∪ last, so∪ much, best∪ of∪ all

9 final "mute" r (re) + word starting with a vowel: far∪ away, more∪ important

The implementation of this rule should not lead to the transition of consonants from one syllable to another, distorting the whole meaning of the phrase.