The Intonation of American English

215 Pages·1945·4.367 MB·English

by  Pike, Kenneth Lee

THE INTONATION OF AMERICAN ENGLISH
~
I

the Intonationo f
American English
by KENNETH L PIKE
Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press
Copyright by The University of Michigan 1945
Twelfth printing 1972
ISBN 0-472-08731-2
Published in the United States of America by
The University of Michigan Press and simultaneously
in Don Mills, Canada, by Longman Canada Limited
Manufactured in the United States of America
University of Michigan Publications
LINGUISTICS
Volume I
PREFACE
This volume is largely an expansion and revision of materials which were published in the
author's Pronunciation, Vol. I of An Intensive Course in English for Latin-American Students by
==-
the English Language Institute of the University of Michigan. The latter material, which appeared
in the summer of 1942, included the results of research which had been conducted earlier that
year. The presentation of the data, however, was in the farm of lesson plans far Latin-American
students, designed to aid them in obtaining a satisfactory pronunciation of English. In 1943 the
Institute revised their Intensive Course, incorporating in the new materials a limited selection
of the intonation data which had appeared in the volume on pronunciation and which would serve the
student most practically and simply. This present study is now offered to a different class of
readers, that is, to those who wish to have a statement of the structure of the English intonation
system as such, in relation to the structural systems of stress, pause and rhythm, rather than a
sampling of the data far use in the classroom. Therefore, it utilizes the mare technical intona
tion material of earlier work, expanding and revising it.
Preliminary data from other lines of research which have been begun cannot be included
here, but we hope that the inquiry may eventually be pushed to completion, and the data results
made available to the public. Initial steps were undertaken on the analysis of the intonation of
Spanish and Portuguese, sufficient to indicate that a similar approach would uncover a similar
structure although one considerably different in details. Far English, however, the next important
step in investigation seems to be the correlation of the structural system with instrumental
measurements which can gi've the physical description of the system and the permitted range of fre
quency, intensity, and durational variation within it. On a practical level, however, the present
data points the way toward the utilization of a symbolic representation of intonation in the train
ing of speakers far appearance in public or over the radio.
The investigation was made possible in the Spring of 1942, and the academic year of 1942-3,
by a grant from the Faculty Research Funds of the University of Michigan, and by my position as
Research Associate of the English Lan,guage Institute. In the fall of 1944 the preparation of the
first part of the ~cript was cont:Uiued with funds frcm the SUDDDBInrs titute of Linguistics, of
Glendale, California. In the Spring of 1945 the manuscript was completed as part of the work
undertaken as Lloyd Post-doctoral Fellow of the University of Michigan.
I wish to thank the many persons who have helped in the preparation of this book. In the
notes I haV& tried to give acknowledg!ient far specific contributions, but, in addition, the Staff
of the English Language Institute have been most helpful in testing the materials in various ways,
both as against their own dialects far the farm and meaning of the intonation contours, and in
their utilization of the material in the classroom. Dr. Aileen Traver directed my attention to
certain of the problems encountered in the practical handling of intonation data, which were in
strumental in initiating a number of profitable lines of research. Most valuable of all, however,
has been the stimulation received fran Professor Charles C, Fries, Director of the Institute, in
informal discussions which I had with him concerning all of the maJ ar problems which developed as
the research progressed,
In order that readers of the manuscript may be able to have a preliminary understanding of
the technical terms defined in the body of the work, but which must be used in the review of
earlier publications in Section Two, there will be given a few sample sentences, 1lllmed1ately fol
lowing this Preface, with the parts of the sentences labelled,
y
INTRO:OOCTClRIYLL USTRATION OF THE CHIEF TEJJHNICALT ERMS FClR
INTONATIONW HICHA RE USED IN THE MONOGRAPH
So ~ ~ the .: q0tletion 2£ !!!l. 1 "gentity ~ ,concerned7, you 'have !!!l. o•~; :- ~ 'adoress,
4- 3- -4- .,_ -4 4- 2--J+.- -4-3 3- ~ -4- -4- 03- _4.;.3/
as well as the an' nouncement of 51: proi'eseion, on the 'card.
4- 3- -4 4- 03--4-}/ ~ - 02-4//
It~ 'guite 'true.
3- 03-2 °3-4//
Will 'he do it?
4- 03_ -1/
Pitch levels: lowest relative pitch, level 4, on So; higher pitch, level 2, on identity; high
est relative level, on the ward ,!l in the last sentence.
Continuous-line symbolism: solid or dotted lines may optionally replace numerals: pitch two at
the top of the letters; pitch three at the bottom of the letters; pitch one considerably
above the letters; pitch four considerably below the letters.
CONTOURS
Pr1mary contour: card (a short primary contour); "dent1t;r is concerned. (a long primary contour,
excluding the first syllable of identity).
Beginning point of a primary contour: Each syllable marked with the sign [ 0] (or, in Section
6.1, with a solid line).
End point of a primary contour: tion of question, or the last part of the syllable ~ (or,
in Section 6.1, with a broken dash before a pause or intonation break).
Change point in a primary contour: first part of the syllable dress, in address (or, in Sec
tion 6.1, with a broken dash between a solid line, and another broken dash after it).
Falling contour ( label applied to primary contours, only) card; or nouncement_ in announcement.
Falling-rising contour (label applied to primary contours, only): address (but So far as does
not constitute a rising-falling contour because it does not begin with a degree sign).
Rising contour ( label applied to primary contours, only): quite; and he do it?
Total contour: of & identity is concerned; applied to any group connected by hyphens.
Precontour: of my; the part of the total contour which precedes the [0 L
vt
CHIEF TlOOHNICALT ERMS vii
STRESS
Normal (Le. strong) stress: on _quee, in question; and an~ indicated by [ •].
Emphatic stress: on den of identity; indicated by [ "J.
Partially reduced stress: on cerned of concerned; and on2;2i stress symbol omitted (except in
Section 4,4,7, which see).
™
Optional stress: in the title, on the word intonation, which would be symbolized (')inton'ation
(in Sections 4.4,5-7, only, which see).
Normal placement of stress: on question, DBlll8, address, card.
Special placement of stress: on he.
Tentative pause: after concerned, address, and the word _gin the last sentence; indicated by
a single bar [ /] (and frequently occurring at the ends of sentences also).
Final pause: after card, and true; symbolized by two bare [ //] (and occasionally occurring in
the middle of a sentence). Note: the pause before a person begins to talk is not marked.
Simple rhythm unit: an the card, and Will h~ do it?; symbolized by the presence of only one
unsuppressed stress between pauses.
Camplex rhythm unit: ,so far as the question of my identity is concerned; identified by the
presence of two or more unsuppressed stresses between pauses.
Syllable in double function within a complex rhythm unit: .2i 3V and; identifiable as being
linked by hyphens to the primary contour which precedes that syllable, and to the primary
contour which follows it, instead of being linked only to the preceding one as an end con
tour point, or to the following one as part of a precontour.
Intonation break: the point between question and 2£,m y identity; also, between quite and true;
and every other place where the numbers are ne1ther joined by a hyphen (or eyphene) nor
separated by a slanting bar (or bare); also, in solid-line symbolism, indicated by a break
in the line.
QUALITYA ND', UANTITY
Quality, and general pitch characteristics: see special symbols in Section 4.4.9,
Quantity: see Section 4.4.8, far use of [:]at various parts of the syllable.

CONTENTS
Sl!JJTION Page
1, Procedure of Investigation • • • , , • • • , • , • , • • • • • 1
2. The Relationship between Auditory and Instrumental Analyses. • 3
2. L Auditory Analyses • • . • • • . • • • • , 3
2.1.L Early British Studies. • • • • , •• . • .• • 3
2.1.2. The American Elocutionists , •• '" • • • , 5
2.1.3. Later British Studies. • • • • •••• ~ • .• • 6
2 • 1. 4. Later American Studies • • , , , • • • • • ,. • 9
2.1.5. Complicating Chararacteristics • • • • 11
.
2.2. Instrumental Analyses •••••••• 12
. .
2.2.1. Of Frequency in Song or Speech . ·• 12
2.2.2, Of Thresholds of Pitch Perception. 14
2.2.3. Of Duration and Intensity in Relation to Intona-
tion •••••••••••••• • • • • • 15
2.3. Auditory and Instrumental Analyses in Relation to
. .. . ..
Phonemics ••.••• 16
•·
3. General Characteristics of Intonation. • • ~ • 20
3 .1. Constituted by Sequence of Pitches--Intonation Contours 20
3 .2. Accompanied by Shades of Meaning. • • • • • • 21
3.2.1. Contrasting Pronunciations as Evidence for
Different Meanings . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 21
3.2.2. Intonation Meanings Superimposed upon Lexical
Meanings (Speaker's Attitude). • • • • • • • • • 21
3.2.3. Difficulty of Isolating an Intonation Contour for
Analysis of its Meaning. • • • • • • . • • • • • . 21
3. 2 • 4. Strength of Meanings • • . • . • . • • • • • • • . 22
.
3.2.5. Principles and Dangers in Definitions of Meanings. 23
.
3.3. Distributed over Phrases ..•••••. ~ 24
3.4. Compared to the Tone of Tone Languages. • • • , ••• 24
3.5. Divided into Parts. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • , 25
3.5.1. Four Relative Levels at Contour Points • • , 25
3.5.2. The Contour Points of Primary Intonations. , •• 27
3.5.3. Precontours within Total Contours. • , • • • 29
3.6. Related to Pause and Rhythm • • • • • • • • • • • , • • , 30
3.6.1. Pauses (Tentative and Final) ••••••• • • 31
3.6.2. Simple Rhythm Units (Stress-timed and Syllable-
Timed) •••••••••••••••••••• ,. ,
3.6.3. Complex Rhythm Units (Including Syllables in
Double Function; Intonation Breaks; Parataxis;
Unification Rhythm ••••••••.••••• 37
3.6.4. Weak and Curtailed Rhythm-Units •••••••• 39
3. 6. 5. SUilllll8ryo f Contrasts between Pause, Rhythm, and
Intonation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . 40
3.7. Transcribed with Various Types of Symbols ••••••• • 41
ix
X INTONATIONO F AMERICAENN GLISH
S!JJTION Page
4. Specific Contours •••••••••••••••••••• .. 44
..
4.1. Primary Contours . ................. 44
!'
4.1.1. Contours Falling to Pitch Level Four (02-4,
01-4, 03-4). • . • . • • . • • • • • . • • • 44
4.1,2. Contours Falling to Pitch Level Three (°2-3,
01-3, °2-3-2, 01-3-2) ..•..••.. ~ • 49
4.1.3. Contours Rising fran Pitch Level Three (03-2,
°3-1)..................... 51
4.1.4. Contours Rising from Pitch Level Four (04-3,
°2-4-3, 01-4-36 °3-4-3, 04-3-4, 04-2, 02-4-2,
01-4-2, 04-1, 2-4-2, 01-4-1) ..•••••••
~· ,5~ Contours Rising fi'am Pitch Level Two to One, and
Falling fran One to Two (02-1, 01-2) .•••• 59
4.1.6. Level Contours (02-2, °2, 03-3, 03, 04-4, 04,
01-1, 01) e • • • ~ fl (cid:127) !I !ti _, ti I'll •i I(cid:127) 61
4.2. Precontom-e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4.2.1. Level Precontoure ••••••••••••••• 66
4.2.2. Slurred Precontoure (Streeeleee and Stressed). 67
4.2.3. Proprecontoure •••••••••••••••• 68
Special Contours and Contour Modifications •••••••• 68
4.3.1. Complex Contours (02-4-03-3, 03-1-04-3, 2-04-4) . • 69
4.3.2. Descending Stress Series (02- -'- 03- -4) .•••• 70
4.3.3. Spoken Chante (02-2-03-1-°2-2-03-3, 02:-3:, 02-3). 71
4.3.4. Singsong •••••••••• • ,• • 72
. . .
4.3.5. Amplifications of Contours •• •"' • ' 72
4.3.5.1. Resumed Contours •• • • • , • • 72
4.3.5.2. Deferred Contours • "' ,. 73
4.3.5.3. Subsidiary Contours . 73
4.3.5.4. Double Rise ••••• , • ••• "' • , 73
4.3.5.5. Poetcontoure and Early Drop or Rise of
Pitch •••••••• , •• 74
• i
4.4. Modifications of Contours • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 76
4.4,1, Modification by Change of Key ••••• •• , • ., •. 76
4.4,2. Modification by Spread of Intervals. 76
4.4.3. Modification by Drift •••••••• , ,, , ••• ., 77
4.4.4. Modification by Rate of Utterance •• 77
4.4.5. Modification by Optional Innate Stresses,
Differences of Vowel Quality, and Boundaries of . .
Parts o:f Warde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • 78
4.4.6. Modification by Ward Boundaries, and Compounds •• 79
4. 4. 7. Modification by Degrees of Stress (Obligatory,
Optional, Elnphatic; Stressed, Unstressed; Innate
Placement, Special Placement [ Sentence Stress];
Modification of Stress by Intonation, Re-stress
Potential; Can.pounding; Illustrative Text) ••• * 82
4.4.8. Modification by Degrees of Quantity (on Beginning,
Middle, and End of Syllables; Socially Significant
Gradation; Canmunity Norms, Physiological and
Personal Differences) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 96
4.4.9. Modification by Quality (with Illustrative Text) • 99