Understanding and Teaching the Pronunciation of English.pdf

CHAPTER 11

Intonation

What is intonation?

Intonation is the “melody” of language—the pattern of higher
and lower pitch as we speak. Using intonation appropriately
is important in helping us be understood. Intonation can
change a statement into a question or a polite
request into a rude command. It can make a
speaker sound happy, sad, sincere, angry,
confused, or defensive.

It’s not simple to predict what the intonation
will be for any particular bit of language.
Intonation is variable and can be a"ected by
many things, such as:

• The grammatical form of the sentence


• The speaker’s assumptions about what the listener knows
  or does not know


• The speaker’s emotions and intentions


• The speaker’s age, occupation, and personality


• Whether the speaker wants to keep talking or stop and
  give someone else a turn


• Whether the speaker is reading from a prepared script or
  speaking freely


• The situation: formal or informal, serious or silly, at work
  or at home


• And many, many other factors that often seem random
  and unpredictable. (Celce-Murcia et al. 2010)

No one can describe or analyze all of these factors, and we

certainly don’t want to confuse our students with too much

detailed analysis. The most practical plan is to teach students

some basic patterns that they can use reliably—

to give them a “starter set” of intonation

patterns. As time goes by, we can expose them

to more and more patterns through authentic

language in movies, TV, and conversations.

With listening and practice, these will help

them increase their understanding and use of

natural intonation.

135

11.1 Intonation