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The Meaning and Function of the English Intonation Systems Ken-ichi Kadooka Ryukoku University Kyoto, Japan
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1. Overview Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) Led by Professor MAK Halliday Halliday’s Introduction to Functional Grammar (fourth edition, 2014), Routledge Halliday and Greaves (2008) Intonation in the Grammar of English, Equinox
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Metafunctions Ideational, Interpersonal, Textual Ideational: subcomponents of Logical and Experiential Interersonal Textual
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Ideational metafunction Process: verb group Participant: nominal group Circumstance: adverbial / preposition group
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Interpersonal metafunction Mood + Residue Mood: Subject + Finite Residue: the rest of the clause
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Textual metafunction Given + New information Theme + Rheme Theme: what to say in the clause Rheme: the rest of the clause
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Intonation under the framework of SFL Tone: five simple tones and two complex tones Tonicity: a boundary between tone groups Tonality: the assignment of the tonic and pretonic syllables Key: the way how meaning is realized, speaker’s intention
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2. Tonicity Definition: the system by which an individual, discrete, unit of intonation is shown to have a prominent word which indicates the focus of information (Tench 1996: 8) Sample: a. / tell me / when he/ comes / ‘inform me o the time of his (habitual) arrival’ B. /tell me when / he comes / ‘inform me at the time of his arrival’
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Tonicity example A.: /^ the question / which he dis/cussed / the question: “which did he discuss?” B.: /^ the / question which he dis/cussed / the question that was discussed by him (Halliday 1994: 295)
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Tonicity example A.: My brother who lives in Nairobi – defining / restrictive clause A’: My brother | who lives in Nairobi – non- defining clause B.: She washed and brushed her hair – wash is a transitive verb B’: She washed | and brushed her hair – wash is an intransitive verb
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3. Tonality Definition: the system by which a stretch of spoken text is segmented into a series of discrete units of intonation which correspond to the speaker’s perception of pieces (or ‘chunks’) of information (Tench 1996: 8)
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Tonality example A: He asked himself -- asked transitive, himself reflexive B: He asked himself – asked intransitive, himself emphatic
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4. Tones Tone 1 – falling Tone 2 – rising Tone 3 – level Tone 4 – fall-rise Tone 5 – rise – fall Tone 13 – fall followed by level Tone 53 – rise-fall followed by level
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Realization of Key ‘I like it’: as a statement of someone watching a famous picture Tone 5 (rise-fall): awestruck art critic, ‘I really like it’ Tone 4 (fall-rise): budget conscious buyer, ‘I do like it, but …’ Tone 3 (level): indecisive viewer, ‘I don’t object to it’
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Realization of Key Tone 2 (rising): defensive viewer, when just accused of not appreciating the painting, ‘what makes you think I don’t?’ Tone 1 (falling): viewer corresponding casually to question, neutral
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Lexicogrammatical classes Tone 5: strong Tone 4: reserved Tone 3: non-committal Tone 2: challenging Tone 1: neutral
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Complex tones //1 ah // 13 fair e/nough // 1 yeah //53 I didn’t / think so// //53 ^ they / do I /some uni/versities //
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Conclusion Phonemes: vowels and consonants Accent: word stress Intonation: key as the expression of the speaker’s attitude, intention, feeling
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References –Halliday, M.A.K. ( 1967 ). Intonation and Grammar in British English. The Hague: Mouton. –Halliday, M.A.K. ( 1970 ). A Course in Spoken English: Intonation. London: Oxford University Press. –Halliday, M.A.K. ( 1973 ). Explorations in the Functions of Language. London: Edward Arnold. –Halliday, M.A.K. ( 1994 ). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. ( second edition ) London: Edward Arnold. –Halliday, M.A.K. and William S. Greaves. ( 2008 ) Intonation in the Grammar of English. London: Equinox. –Tench, Paul. ( 1996 ). The Intonation Systems of English. London: Cassell. –Wennerstrom, Ann. ( 2001 ). The Music of Everyday Speech. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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