THE STEPPING HEADS. THEIR USAGE AND MODAL MEANING

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 811.

The Gradually Descending Stepping Head( always diffuse/double-peak or mixed prominence) is stylistically and emotionally neutral, even monotonous, so it is mostly used in formal conversations, lecturing, didactic monologues, and in reading written texts. It gives the feeling of seriousness and weight to the utterance.

e.g.: The De'scending 'Stepping 'Head is sty'listically neutral.

This head may achieve extra prominence by breaking the downward movement and pronouncing one of the stresssed syllables on a rather high pitch level. Such a head is calledThe Broken Descending Stepping Heador the head with the“special” or “accidental” rise.The words that normally receive special prominence are the so-called “itensifiers”, which express an unusual degree of quantity, quality, size or unexpexted and extraordinary actions.

nouns: crowds, hundreds, thousands;

verbs: cry, push, shout;

adverbs: much, more, too, very, immediately.

e.g.: We've 'wasted ''thousands of ‘dollars! Or: We've 'wasted áthousands of ‘dollars!

The High Level Head(always one-peak) sounds airy and light, so it is generally used in informal lively conversations to express a friendly attitude.

e.g. ˡWho would he `choose?

The Low Level Headis frequently combined with low narrow tones, falling or rising, conveying a cool, phlegmatic dissaproving and disinterested attitude of the speaker.

e.g.: Why aren't you in bed?

This head is also typical in parenthesis/appositions which are used in the middle of a sentence to express either the same information as the previous sense-group (“old information”) or are used as an afterthought.

e.g.: >Brussels| the capital of ‚Belgium| is the 'headquarters of the 'Common `Market.

The Ascending Stepping Head (always diffuse/double-peak or mixed prominence) is often combined with the high falling or rising tones. There is often a feeling of surprise, protest, or impatience. It can be used to express emphasis, for contrast, the contrasted word being the nucleus of a sense group.

e.g.: Why are you 'critisizing ‘me?

THE SLIDING HEAD, ITS USAGE AND MODAL MEANING

This head is formed by a sequence of slides – downward pitch changes associated with its each fully stressed syllable. It can be one-peak, diffuse or mixed prominence type. The Sliding Head is mostly used to intensify the meaning of the utterance. Sentences pronounced with the Sliding Head sound livelier, more expressive and more emotionally coloured as compared with the Stepping Head and the High Head, so this head is frequently used in informal talk or when there is a need to emphasize the whole utterance.

e.g.: We haven't heard from him for ‘ages.

This head has a wide use in reading emotionally coloured texts.

e.g.: His sister had some very an noying ‘habits.

The Sliding Head is frequently combined with Fall-Rise.

e.g.: But it's not really that at ˇall.