The problem of phonetic styles (segmental and suprasegmental levels).

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 1041.

Intonation: components and functions.

Intonation on perceptual level is a complex unity of 4 components formed by significant variations in: voice pitch/pitch melody; prominence of words/loudness; voice timber; the tempo rate/rate of speech + rhythm + pausation of utterance. This complex unity serves to express adequately on the bases of the correct grammatical structure and lexical composition of the sentence. The speaker's thoughts, volition, emotions, feelings, attitudes towards reality, contents of the utterance, the listener. The basic unit of intonation is intonation pattern. Pitch movements are inseparably connected with prominence of words. These 2 together with temporal components create these intonation patterns. Intonation pattern contain one nucleus and may also contain unstressed syllables, which may precede or follow the nucleus. Boundaries between intonation patterns are marked by temporal pauses. Intonation patterns serve to actualize sintagm in oral speech. Sintagm – a group of words which are semantically and syntactically complete. In phonetics actualized sintagms are called intonation groups (sense groups, tone groups).

Гайдучек distinguishes 5 styles basing them on the sphere of discourse: solemn; scientific business; official business; every day; familiar. Dubovski. It is based on the degree of formality: informal ordinary; formal neutral; formal official; informal familiar; declamatory. Shcherba didn't distinguish types of pronunciation, just styles: full style; colloquial style. 2 marginal types of pronunciation: formal; informal. Formal type suggests dispassionate information on the part of the speaker. It is characterized by careful pronunciation and relatively slow speech. Informal – everyday conversation. It is characterized by the increase of sound modifications, quicker tempo and weak carefulness. It is reasonable to distinguish phonetic style on segmental and suprasegmental levels. The reason: some of the factors (the aim or purpose e.g.) on suprasegmental level at the same time variations in the degree of formality reveals segmental variations. An intonation style is a system of interrelated intonational means which is used in a social sphere and serves a definite aim of communication. Intonational styles are distinguished on the basis of the purpose of communication: informational; academic; publicistic; declamatory; conversations. The purpose of communication also defines the type of information conveyed in oral texts. There are informational types: intellectual information; attitudinal/emotional/modal information; volitional information. These stylistically marked modifications of all prosodic features represent the invariant of the style forming intonation patterns common to all the registers of the particular style. Intonation patterns vary in accordance with the type of information present in communication. As any discourse carries intellectual information intellectual intonation patterns are present in every style. As for attitudinal and volitional information they specify the particular intonational style, and distinguish them one from another. Declamatory style. This intonational style is also called “artistic/acquired/stage”. It is highly emotional and expressive style. Attitudinal, volitional and intellectual functions of intonation are of primary importance here and serve to appeal to the mind, will and feelings of the listener. This style can be heard on the stage, on the screen, in a TV studio or in a classroom during verse speaking and prose readings and recitations. It is always a written form of the language read aloud or recited. The prosodic organization of such texts will vary greatly, depending on the type of the theatrical performance – whether it is a tragedy, dram or comedy – and, of course, on the social factors – the social and cultural background of the play characters, their relationship, extralinguistic context. The declamatory reading displays a great variety of intonation property as regards to the types of written texts. There is almost endless variety in the way writers express themselves. Timber – concerned, personally involved, emotionally rich. Delimitation – phonopassages, phrases, intonational groups. Style-marking prosodic features: loudness; levels and ranges; rate; pauses; rhythm. The accentuation of semantic centers: terminal tones (low and high falls in final and even initial intonation groups and on semantic centers); pre-nuclear patterns. The contrast between accented and unaccented segments is not great.