Intonation of implicatory statements. Friendly statements.

Statements pronounced with the nuclear Falling- Rising tone (Divided or Undivided) are known as implicatory statements.

Due to the specific character of the Fall-Rise such utterances give the impression that the speaker wants his hearer to understand more than the words themselves convey. The additional meanings implied by this tone include contradiction, correction, contrast, hesita­tion, apology, cordiality, warning. The exact implication is nearly always clear from the situation and the lexical content of the ut­terance:

1. — It's one of the test *German films I've seen.

— It's Italian, (correction)

2. — I |think they have 'all finished writing their essays.

— Ann /hasn't, (contrast)

3. — 'Let's go 'out and *do the Chopping now.

— But it ^hasn't •stopped training /yet. (contradiction)

The nuclear Fall-Rise in implicatory statements, as is shown in the examples, can be preceded by different kinds of head (high level, stepping, fa 11 ing), but a sliding head with its falling variant is the most typical.

Friendly Statements

Friendly statements are characterised by the nuclear Low Rising tone and a high-pitched prenuclear part (normal or high prehead, high level or stepping head). Utterances with this intonation pattern lack'the definiteness and finality of falling tunes and the implicatory note of the falling-rising ones. They sound warm, lively and encouraging.-

1. — 'Don't be Mong, Ann.

— I 'shan't be 'later than /usual.

2. — 'Please, 'hurry up, /Jane.

— I'll be 'ready in a /minute.

General Questions

General questions are often pronounced with a Mid or Mid-High Rising nuclear tone preceded by a high level or stepping head and normal or high prehead. According to their communicative meaning these ques­tions can be defined as neutral, or genuine, since they ask for information only and don't convey any additional connotations such as the speaker's personal interest, surprise, scepticism, etc. Depending on the situation such general questions may sound light, airy or, vice versa, formal and businesslike:

a) — I saw a film last,night.

— Did you like it?

b) — It's Harriet's free evening, and she's gone to the theatre.

— To the opera?

c) — 'Shall I 'switch on the video-recorder?

— Do, please.

A High Narrow Rising tone, which is considerably higher in pitch than the Mid or Mid-High Rise, is typical pronounced on General questions when they are used as Echo questions or as Interrogative Repetitions, i.e. questions or parts of the speaker's remark repeated by the listener. These are asked by the listener either because he hasn't heard the speaker's words clearly or because he is surprised at what he has heard:

— I hear the Smiths have lost all the money they won.

— Lost it?

Sometimes the listener repeats the speaker's question in order to gain time before answering:

— 'Do you 'know his name?

— Do I know his name? Why, certainly.

Note the difference in the nuclear rise in the stimulus general question and in the echo question.

— Are you serious?

A common way of asking General questions is with a nuclear Low Rising or Falling-Rising tone preceded by a high-pitched prenuclear part. Questions taking this intonation pattern show the speaker's interest not only in receiving information but also in the listener himself. Therefore, they are called Friendly General questions.

These questions are suitable for all kinds of situations but are especially frequent when talking to children:

Daughter: I don't want to draw any more.

Mother: 'Are you tired?

General questions may also be pronounced with a Falling nuclear tone (high, mid or low).

A High Falling nucleus combined with a high or step­ping head gives the question a note of suggestion, offer, invitation:

—We are going out to see a picture. Would you like to join us?

— I'd love to. But I've already made an appointment for this evening.

A Low Falling nucleus preceded by a high prenuclear pitch gives an insistent or a sceptical note to the General question. Such questions are often used when the speaker is not satisfied with the listener's answer and has to repeat his original question, or when he is sure of the negative reply:

a) — He's promised to stop smoking.

— Does he really mean what he says?

b) — 'Did you know they'd come?

— Well, I was told something about it.

— 'Did you 'know they would come?

Complex General Questions

In most cases these questions are pronounced as a simple tune (one intonation-group) and take the same nuclear tones as simple General questions. But if the sentence is long or if the tempo of speech is slow, a complex General question forms a combined tune where each of the intonation-groups is normally pronounced with a Rising nuclear tone (Mid-High, Mid, Low):

'Do you know where Mrs. Green works?

Do you 'think it's 'too damp to 'sit on the grass?

Special Questions

The most common intonation pattern of Special questions is a Falling tone (High, Mid or Low) with a normal

or high prehead and a high or stepping head (if any). Special questions pronounced with this intonation pattern are used in all kinds of situations and are regarded as normal, or neutral.* In normal Special questions the first stress is usually placed on the interrogative word and the nuclear stress is placed on some other word coming later in the utterance:

Patient: I'm afraid I'm seriously ill, doctor.

Doctor: 'What has been troubling you?

The interrogative word of a Special question may become the nucleus of the tune while the remaining part of the utterance forms the tail. This kind of structure is used when the speaker wants to draw the listener's attention to a particular detail or when he hasn't been satisfied with what he has been told and insists on a more exact answer. Such Special questions may be called Specifying or Insistent:

— There's 'somebody's bag in the car.

— Whose bag?

Note: The Nuclear Fall may be made emphatic:

— I'm a'fraid I must 'leave today.

— But why must you go so soon?

Special questions pronounced with a low Rising nuclear tone preceded by a high-pitched prenuclear part (stepping or high level head or high prehead, if there is no head) convey the speaker's interest and his warm attitude to the listener:

'What's the matter with you? 'What's been troubling you?

This is a friendly way of making inquiries or, in other words, these are friendly Special questions. They are commonly used in a series of questions, especially addressed to children:

— What's your name, little boy?

— Bobby.

— And your mother's name?

Note: The intonation pattern of normal Special questions is very similar to that of Straightforward statements. The difference lies in the pitch-level of the first stressed word in the head which is considerably higher in questions:

Jane is 'going for a holiday soon.

What is she 'planning to do?

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