Université de Savoie UFR-LLSH
LCE1 UE 103
Lecture: Phonetics & Phonology
Alice Henderson
ahend@univ-savoie.fr
Office 812
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Content of the 5 lectures
1) Introduction, Phonemes
2) Sounds in context, connected speech
3) Stress, accent & rhythm
4) Intonation
5) Conclusion
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Outline, Lecture 4
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3
Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3
Stress, accent, pitch, tune
Sentence emphasis & focus
Chunking & pausing
Intonation: Definition & basic tunes
Functions
Conclusion
Bibliography
Homework from Lectures 2 & 3
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Elision in send, sent
Likely/possible assimilation, elisions, linking
Word stress rules
Stress in compounds
Elision in send, sent
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Rules for elision of final /d/ and /t/
Likely/possible assimilation,
elisions, linking
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Types of assimilation: /d/, /t/, /n/
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Linking: C+V, V+V, C+C
Word Stress Rules
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2-syllable words
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3+-syllable words: 3 major categories
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Nouns & adjectives: usually on 1st syll.
Verbs: often on 2nd syllable
Stress on ending: -ee, -eer, -ese, -ette, -esque, ique
Stress 1 syll. before ending: -ic, -ion, -ity, …
Stress 2 sylls. before ending: -ate, -ize, -ary
Stress in Compounds
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Stress in compound nouns
Stress in 2-word verbs
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Separated: stress both
Together: one stress is lost
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Stress the adverb/preposition when it is at the end of a
tone unit
When a noun object follows, EITHER the verb or the
adverb/preposition can be stressed, according to the
rhythm
Two-word verbs
Separated: stress both
You’re winding me up
She shut the computer down
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Two-word verbs
Together: one stress is lost
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Stress the adverb/preposition when it is at the end of a
tone unit
–
If you hope to break through
– The plane’s about to take off!
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When a noun object follows, EITHER the verb or the
adverb/preposition can be stressed, according to the
rhythm
She’s taken up stamp collecting
– We’ve run out of bread
– Turn up the heat
* I’ve just put away my books // I’ve put away my books
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Outline, Lecture 4
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Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3
Stress, accent, pitch, tune
Sentence emphasis & focus
Chunking & pausing
Intonation: Definition & basic tunes
Functions
Conclusion
Bibliography
Stress & Pitch
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Stress in English: a syllable is
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Longer
Louder
On a higher pitch
Stress & Accent
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Stress is not the same as accent
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Accent marks the beginning of a change in
tune
Regular rhythm in music: stress
•••••••••••• // ••••••••••••
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4 stresses per breath group
Regular rhythm in music: accent
•
•
•
••••••••••
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5 stresses
2 accents
•
//
••••••••••
Accent, Tune & Pitch
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A change in tune involves a change in pitch
Outline, Lecture 4
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Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3
Stress, accent, pitch, tune
Sentence emphasis & focus
Chunking & pausing
Intonation: Definition & basic tunes
Functions
Conclusion
Bibliography
Sentence emphasis …
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Stress content words: nouns, main verbs,
negative auxiliaries, adverbs, adjectives
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Use weak forms for structure words: pronouns,
prepositions, articles, ‘to be’ verbs,
conjunctions, auxiliary verbs
Tune & sentence emphasis
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Tune change starts on one of the last content
words …. usually.
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Speakers can choose which information to
highlight by choosing where to start changing
the tune
Focus on last content word
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What’s the matter?
Where are you going?
Put some milk in it.
Could we go home?
How have you been?
Let’s have a look at it.
Broad focus
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I’ve lost my keys.
My train leaves on Monday the fourth.
She’s lost her bag.
Narrow focus
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End: We’re not ready!
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Middle: What’s happened in here?!
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Beginning: Here they are!
Try it …
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A: Are you from France?
B: No, I’m from Sweden.
A: How long have you been here?
B: I’ve been here for a month.
A: What are you studying?
B: Physics.
A: Do you find physics difficult?
B: Yes, a little.
Try it …
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A: Are you from France?
B: No, I’m from Sweden.
A: How long have you been here?
B: I’ve been here for a month.
A: What are you studying?
B: Physics.
A: Do you find physics difficult?
B: Yes, a little.
Now try this one ….
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A: Do you think the food here is expensive?
B: Not really.
A: Well, I think it’s expensive.
B: That’s because you eat in restaurants.
A: Where do you eat?
B: I cook at home.
A: I didn’t know you could cook?!
B: Well, I can’t, so I just eat bread and cheese.
A: That’s so unhealthy!
B: No it isn’t. And I like bread and cheese.
Answers:
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A: Do you think the food here is expensive?
B: Not really.
A: Well, I think it’s expensive.
B: That’s because you // eat in restaurants.
A: Where do you eat?
B: I cook at home.
A: I didn’t know // that you could cook?!
B: Well, I can’t, so I just eat bread and cheese.
A: That’s so unhealthy!
B: Maybe, // but I like bread and cheese.
The Nucleus
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Syllable where the tune begins to change (rise,
fall)
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Look at the « green » words (accent)
Exercises from the Web
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Web Tutorials at University College of London
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Focus
Outline, Lecture 4
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Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3
Stress, accent, pitch, tune
Sentence emphasis & focus
Chunking & pausing
Intonation: Definition & basic tunes
Functions
Conclusion
Bibliography
Chunking & Pausing
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The power of silence ….
Signals « chunks » of meaning
Chunks = thought groups, meaning units
Chunks= words which go together to express
one idea or thought
Pause + falling tune = end of a thought group
in English
Where do we pause?
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Before conjunctions & prepositions
Before relative clauses
Between grammatical units (subject, predicate)
At punctuation
UCL Web tutorials: Chunking
Try this …
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A: Who’s coming to the party tonight?
B: Tom.
A: Just Tom?
B: No, Tom and Matt.
A: No one else?
B: Well, Sue’s coming, too.
A: Alone?
B: No, with Anne.
A: So, that’s Tom and Matt and Sue and Anne. Is that it?
B: Oh, and Stella. On her own.
A: So, that’s Tom and Matt and Sue and Anne and Stella.
Answers:
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A: Who’s coming to the party tonight?
B: Tom.
A: Just Tom?
B: No, // Tom and Matt.
A: No one else?
B: Well, // Sue’s coming, too.
A: Alone?
B: No,// with Anne.
A: So, // that’s Tom and Matt // and Sue and Anne. // Is that it?
B: Oh, // and Stella. // On her own.
A: So, // that’s Tom and Matt // and Sue and Anne // and Stella.
Try this one …
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1a)The man and the woman dressed in black
came out of the cinema.
1b) The man, and the woman dressed in black,
came out of the cinema.
2a) Alfred said, « The boss is stupid. »
2b) « Alfred, » said the boss, « is stupid . »
3a) If you finish, quickly leave the room.
3b) If you finish quickly, leave the room.
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1a)The man and the woman dressed in black //
came out of the cinema.
1b) The man,// and the woman dressed in
black, // came out of the cinema.
2a) Alfred said, // « The boss is stupid. »
2b) « Alfred, » // said the boss, // « is stupid . »
3a) If you finish, // quickly leave the room.
3b) If you finish quickly,// leave the room.
Outline, Lecture 4
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Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3
Stress, accent, pitch, tune
Sentence emphasis & focus
Chunking & pausing
Intonation: Definition & basic tunes
Functions
Conclusion
Bibliography
What is it? Why do we use it?
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Rise & fall in pitch
To express a range of meanings, emotions or
situations
To add more meaning despite English’s fixed
word order
Basic Tunes
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French: predominantly  (rising)
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English: predominantly  (falling)
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English also uses:
Fall-rise & rise-fall
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Tunes on a single syllable
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Yes, No
Speaker’s choice: vary pitch or not
How many different ways can you say them?
How many different meanings can you
communciate?
Basic tunes
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 (rising): Message is
« Open »
– Incomplete
– Uncertain
–
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 (falling): Message is
Closed
– Final
– Certain
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Tunes in questions
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Getting information 
Where do you live?
 Where are you from?
What do you do for a living?
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Checking information
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 « closed » messages, where you’re almost certain
about the information
 « open » messages, where you’re not very sure
 asking for repetition
Tunes in questions:  « checking »
closed messages
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You’re not from around here, are you?
Presumably you know Jill then?
Is that the station over there?
You don’t play tennis, do you?
Tunes in questions:  « checking » open
messages
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You like chocolate, don’t you?
That’s her new boyfriend, isn’t it?
You’ve been to London before, right?
You’ve skied before, haven’t you?
Tunes in questions:  asking for
repetition
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A: How many people did you invite?
B: Fifty.
A: Fifty?
B: Yes, fifty.
Try these …
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This train is for Leeds, York, Darlington and
Durham.
Can you give me a lift? // Possibly. Where to?
No! Certainly not! Go away!
Did you know he’d been convicted of drunken
driving? // No!
If I give him money he goes and spends it.
He’s completely irresponsible.
Answers:
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This train is for  Leeds,  York,  Darlington
and  Durham.
Can you give me a  lift? //  Possibly. Where
 to?
 No! Certainly  not! Go  away!
Did you know he’d been convicted of drunken
 driving? //  No!
If I give him  money he goes and  spends it.
He’s completely  irresponsible.
Outline, Lecture 4
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47
Go over homework from Lectures 2 & 3
Stress, accent, pitch, tune
Sentence emphasis & focus
Chunking & pausing
Intonation: Definition & basic tunes
Functions
Conclusion
Bibliography
Functions of intonation
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Focussing function: to draw attention to
important information, a deliberate choice by
the speaker
Grammatical function: to distinguish
grammatical categories of words and/or status
of all or part of an utterance
Attitudinal function: a powerful tool for
communicating our emotions
Focussing Function
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« accentual function »
Meet
S
me
at
home
S
at
five
S
A
N
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Contrastive Stress
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I must find SOME
I must FIND some
I MUST find some
I must find some
Contrastive Stress
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SOME= important to find at least a bit
FIND= verb is important
MUST= absolute necessity of finding
I= me and nobody else
Grammatical Function
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But often the grammar determines the placement of the
nucleus
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Word classes
Nouns & noun phrases (compounds)
Syntactic distinctions
Probably the least important function
Other clues help the listener to decode meaning
*Remember: English is extremely redundant
Grammatical Function
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Word classes: Noun / Verb
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IMport / imPORT
DIScount / disCOUNT
TAKE off / take OFF
DROP out / drop OUT
Grammatical Function
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Nouns & noun phrases (compounds)
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GREENhouse / green HOUSE
TALLboy/ tall BOY
BLACKbird / black BIRD
BIGhead / big HEAD
Grammatical Function
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Defining & non-defining relative clauses
Adverbials
Vocatives & apositives
**NOT on the exam
Attitudinal Function
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Neutral vs offensive/nasty/grumpy
Positive vs negative
Polite vs impolite
Surprise
Implication
**NOT on the exam
Attitudinal Function
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Neutral vs offensive/nasty/grumpy
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Positive vs negative
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This is my book / no it’s not, it’s mine
Surprise
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Shall we have dinner together then? Yes, fine
Oh what a lovely gift
Polite vs impolite
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Would you like some help? No, thank you
How many times do I have to tell you
I hear they’ve had triplets
Implication (extra meaning to words)
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What do you think of her partner? / Great
Conclusion
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Stress, accent, pitch, tune
Sentence emphasis, focus
Chunking & pausing: where, why
Basic tunes of English & their functions
Bibliography
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Rogerson & Gilbert, (1990), Speaking Clearly,
Cambridge University Press.
Roach, (1991), English Phonetics &
Phonology, Cambridge University Press.
Notes from « Summer Course in English
Phonetics », University College London,
Summer 2004.