Increments and Tone 153
Example (18) contains two level tone tone units which signal Bs’s moment-
ary disengagement from the communicative context he is operating in.
Apparently struggling to comprehend how the text he is reading fi ts into
the context he is projecting, he fi nds himself unable to choose an engaged
tone. The tone unit internal pause in the third tone unit indicates that it
was only after the articulation of the third tone unit that Bs re-engages with
the context and projects his reading as engaged in satisfying his individual
communicative need.^10
There were no examples of level tone realizing what Tench (1997)
labelled the routine listing function. However, an examination of Crystal
and Davy (1975) located 13 examples of routine listing – see O’Grady 2006
for full details. Examples (19) and (20) provide representative examples.
(19) and they went into the –MILKing sheds // and helped him
c N V P d e N c Ø V N
feed the –PIGS //and all –THIS // you know we didn’t \SEE
V' d N c d N con N V V'
the children//
d N #This example, which was cited by Tench (1997: 20) in support of his
claim, presents the children’s actions as self-evident. It is, according to
the speaker, common knowledge that children on a farm holiday do such
actions as going into the milking sheds and helping to feed the pigs. Similarly, in
(20) the speaker presents the woman’s acts of opening the door, sitting in the
car and beginning to back it very gently as a routine list of actions performed
when backing a car out of a garage. Such actions are so self evident that
he does not for the moment need to consider the state of speaker/hearer
common ground.(20) and opened the –DOOR // and she sat in the –CAR // and
con Ø V d N c N V P d N con... er... began to –BACK // very very –GENTly // taking... /
θ V V' Ø A A A V' e
GREAT \CARE you see // that she didn’t do \↑ANything to this //
con N N V V' N (P) (d)
to this new car... //
P d e N #^11