A Grammar of Spoken English Discourse - The Intonation of Increments

194 A Grammar of Spoken English Discourse

Contrary to Brazil’s claim that the low-key value of equivalence is always
present it appears that speaker selection of low key/termination may,
depending on the context, signal nothing other than a release from
expectations. Example (47) illustrates:

(47) MUslims in BRItain are FREE to \/WORship // we have

N p n V E V’ # N V’ dº

PLUral so\CIeties // you \↓KNOW //

e N EX # [T2-Dmc-53]

Table 7.12 Number of low keys/terminations in increment initial, medial and
fi nal position

Text 1 Text 2

Reader Initial Medial Final Total Initial Medial Final Total

Bc 0 0 2 2 1 0 5 6
Bs 0 2 4 6 1 2 5 8
Dc 0 0 5 5 1 0 6 7
Dmc 0 0 2 2 1 0 6 7
Emi 0 1 3 4 1 2 3 6
Gc 0 1 2 3 0 0 7 7
Jt 0 1 5 6 0 0 4 3
Mh 0 1 2 3 0 0 1 1
Rf 0 1 0 1 0 0 5 5
Sn 0 1 0 2 0 1 2 3
Tr 0 0 5 5 0 1 5 6
Total 0 8 29 37 5 6 49 59

Table 7.13 The communicative value of low key/termination

Text 1 Text 2

Initial Medial Final Initial Medial Final

No low-key value 0 0 7 0 1 11
End and projected as self evident 0 0 16 0 2 36
End and projected as equative 0 0 7 0 0 1
Not end and projected as self evident 0 1 0 0 3 0
Not end and projected as equative 0 1 0 3 0 0
Potential end and projected as self evident 0 5 0 0 2 0
Potential end and projected as equative 0 1 0 0 0 0
None of the above* 000200

• The two unclassifi able increment initial low key/terminations were attached to the fi lled pause marker
  erm and could perhaps have been ignored as existing outside of increment structure. However, in the
  interest of completeness they were classifi ed as exclamations and coded as suspensive elements within
  increment structure.