On Patterns of English
Intonation
Advisor:鍾榮富
Presenter:王雅慧
Number:M98C0207
Introduction
Background and Motivation
Students learning English as a foreign
language.
Multiple learning English resources i.e.
movies, radio, English TV shows
Students learning English in examoriented environments.
Statements of the Problem
Tone language v.s. Intonation language
Lead to misunderstanding
Research about Intonation
Lado (1975) points that if foreign
language’s intonation patterns are not
found in the native language, students
may have trouble speaking and knowing
the meaning of intonation.
Chen (2010) states that Taiwan learners’
speech is found with syllable-time patterns.
Purposes of the study
To explore English intonation of Taiwan
students and native speakers.
To compare students’ pitch value with
native speaker’s.
To find out the differences between
students’ pitch system and native
speaker’s pitch system.
Research Questions
1.What are the differences of intonation
patterns between Taiwan students and
native speakers?
2.What are the characteristics of pitch of
Taiwan students?
3.What are the elements of native
speaker’s English intonation?
4.Which intonation patterns would
students have more difficulties?
Definition of Terms
 Intonation:
 Intonation refers to the pitch values in the ups
and downs of daily utterances, which, as stated
in Ladefoged (2006) , can be simply translated
as patterns of pitch changes occurrng in a
sentence.
 Ranalli (2002) addressed that we attach familiar
labels describing levels, high or low, and tones,
falling or rising.
The levels of pitch
Four horizontal in the American English
intonation
Extra-high
4________
High
3________
Normal (Middle) 2 ________
Low
1________
For example: Declarative intonation:
/231/intonation