is "CO iCO :O> 'CO ENGLISH INTONATION WITH SYSTEMATIC EXERCISES LONDON AGENTS: KENT SIMPKIN, MARSHALL HAMILTON, & Co LTD ENGLISH INTONATION WITH SYSTEMATIC EXERCISES BY HAROLD E PALMER Linguistic Adviser to the Japanese Department of Education Late Lecturer in Spoken English, University College, London Author of "A Grammar " Cest le ton of Spoken English," etc., etc qui fait la chanson" 3-33 CAMBRIDGE W HEFFER Sc 1922 SONS LTD DEDICATED TO MY FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE H O COLEMAN, TO WHOSE INITIATIVE AND INVENTIVE GENIUS MUCH VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE ON THE SUBJECT OF ENGLISH INTONATION IS DUE Preface The object of this book is fourfold: To place on record a characteristic and most Southern English collection of the tones tone-compounds as observed in the speech of people in ordinary conversation To suggest a scheme of classification and terminology by which these tones and tone -compounds may be divided into classes according to their degree of resemblance or difference To formulate in a series of laws or rules the facts which have so been discovered concerning the relation between tones and meanings far To set forth a simple yet in order that tonetic texts adequate system of tonetic notation, may be produced inexpensively and abundantly and students the book can be gathered by reference to the four objects for which it has been composed I have more especially it of of for the use students foreign designed spoken English No one for the use of teachers The general utility of who wishes to use the English language in the manner of English speakers can any more ignore the phenomena of its intonation than he can ignore It may be no more than a personal the phenomena of its pronunciation I am convinced that the two things, pronunciation and intonation, are so bound up with each other that it is futile to teach I base this opinion on psychological or to learn one without the other grounds Mimicry is the most potent factor in the study of foreign languages (whether spoken or written) The successful mastery of a language depends on how successfully the student can imitate the models which serve as his standard Systematic exercises in pronunciation have the effect of causing opinion of mine, but students to observe the sounds of the language; similarly, systematic have the effect of causing students to observe exercises in intonation the tones of the language PREFACE VI This book should be of equal (or even greater) service to teachers of A teacher of pronunciation cannot efficient work spoken English is ignorant of the nature (nay, of the very existence) of the sounds the of language he is teaching; but to teach foreigners to pronounce English without teaching them to intone it is an unbalanced procedure And yet a teacher of intonation cannot efficient work if he is ignorant he if of the nature (nay, of the very existence) of the tones of the language he is teaching may be of interest to the English-speaking person whose intonation differs from that here recorded, for it will enable him to become familiar with the main features of other types of intonation than This book his own The study of English intonation should be of great utility to the of foreign languages, if only to put him on his guard student English The effect against speaking such languages with his native intonation of the " I French sentence, did not see him " Je ne yesterday," 1'ai is pas vu hier," intoned as the English as remarkable (not to say laughable) as the converse effect Furthermore, the English student work of Chinese and other "tone- by a conscious knowledge languages" of his own tones, for he will thereby be enabled to recognise, distinguish and to reproduce tone-differences which elude the ear and the mimetic will find his greatly facilitated capacities of one without such knowledge ready knowledge of the characteristic A intonations of English, together with the possibility of reading and writing tonetic transcriptions, must enormously facilitate the work of teachers and students of diction By referring to the tonetic transcriptions in Part XII of this book, the reader will notice the ease with which one can read and write sentences intoned in a number of various ways The pronunciation used in these exercises is in general conformity with that given in Professor Jones' English Pronouncing Dictionary, Scope As I have already mentioned, I have confined my attention to the study of that system of intonation which is generally used of the natives of England I have taken the data afforded by most by the Phonetic Texts in Tonetic Section XII Transcription i haednt ju beta get /Ap nau? beta get /Ap nau? or ""hsednt jar it s getirj or \leit s getiij it or ksv s it 1>leit 1>leit getirj ju: o:dad /brekfast? or Aav ju o:dad ,/brekfast? f or "\6aet s o:l rait; daun bi' or bi or I bi _wen wi' m a m _ Jl bi 1 ^wAnda witj z or bi' \Sis || Sa || wi it || gou aut an luk al bi' /redi? "^"redi in a mAst in ten >minits fa ra:6ar ik^spensiv afreid Sis Aoutel al bi' rcuSar ik^spensiv ^minit; ounli got ta get or v \ounli got or in ten _^minits Aou^tel freid Sis or v ~"daun daun v hsed /brekfast, ju /redi? or a ju in ten _^minits || || _ -ybuits on ta get Sa wei ta Sa iz mAst mai mai >si:; /Gink bi it Oink /si:, \Sea z Sa si:, wi kwait \klous tu or wi a kwait it! vicious tu 96 it! _*bu:ts on PHONETIC TEXTS IN TONETIC TRANSCRIPTION S9m Shouts; Qear wot d9 ju f bouts "\seilirj let s tu sei Mu:; || or wi wi MTOU? 1 f9r >seil! gou wi' haevnt "\taim or 97 || /nau: haevnt >taim Imau: || haevnt taim 1>nau: f v got t9 faind "Uo:d3irjz mei 9z wel haev ^bei5 9ou: wi' 1*8aet wount teik Ion wi' Jamt ~tu: 1>ai s it or beid: ^Vkould luk wel or || 1ni: f9 s tu: "Vkould fo: mi' it ->hi9: _>bei5 an || ~""ai ju Jl gou 9n luk f9 >lod3inz; /bei5 \\etc >ju: And9stsend 5aet so:t ju 1 \faind or ju mi 1 || /hi9 || 3v 0ir) wen ju || bet9 59n /ai du: kAm \baek mi hi9 wen ju kAm _wei SAmau ^raiSg Sink wi' went 89 t9 || rorj went t9 89 ra:8g 1>6irjk or wi' went tg 89 9n sou hsed tg gou tg 8i \A8g wAn \enihau, d3Ast gz wi' keim Ap tg 8g or ra:8g 'VGink wi' || || || 89 ^po:t9 J~At hi* mait \i:zli 89 do:r in aug gv let 9S 89 trein didnt \sta:t fg or 89 fg "Venihau, or || or or wi rorj steijn, \steijn, /steijn, /in, til tu: minits trein didnt stait til || || /a:ft9 tu: minits >a:ft9 i- it wgz 89 Icust 'Vtrein, nou >help fo:r it: gn 89 wgz ^nou 1*help fo r it: 9n 89 wgz nou /help fo'r it: 9n 89 wgz ^nou _>help fo-r it: \enihau, || r haed tg wo:k ->houm or "\steijn, "Vrorj >feisiz 9n 89 wgz or 8g >steijn ment it gz kaind 9v praektikl \d3ouk sgpouz i ment it gz kaind gv praektikl it wgz 8g laist >trein, S9l*pouz or || getir) tg || tg 8g \ror) steijn, wi haed tg >wo:k houm PHONETIC TEXTS IN TONETIC TRANSCRIPTION hau woz >fa: 99 it? foithn >mailz fo:ti:n >mailz or Vwel, i| woznt mAtf 1x3aet woznt mAtJ wel /daet woznt mAtJ wel 1*5aet woznt mAtJ /9aet or or or or "\nou || Vwel, || /wel, || "\nou or ai %6a:ti mailz woikt || niali /0a:ti mailz || JAi) felou /WAn baliiv 1*ai niali nia VWAII, til an /sAm ov as or || o'Fvredi || or WAn d didnt get houm til nia didnt get /houm til nia ov as hsed ^vfa:5a ta gou or or ^SAm 9n || bat wi houm didnt get etc bat wi' d O'lVedi wo:kt i || km waz felou JAi) haed ta || haed "Vfaida ta gou nokt pliitli >Ap waz km pli:tli nokt || lai in "vbed far a haed ta or ba^liiv or ba/li:v \\etc || i waz nAn 6a wa:s lai in dei a tu: \bed far a dei a tu: foir it Adapted from Sweet's Primer of Spoken English III ~~wot da ju v haed ->6irjk? a \kworal or or ai d3Ast 6a veri dei hi ^met hi kAmz wi5 pra fesa >smi0 || ^woznt 'Vmai it || v hsed a >kworal wi9 pra fesa >smi0 v hsed a kworal wi6 prafesa \smi6 mi fo'lt hau it >haepnd mai /buk keim aut, tel 1 ju at 6a ^steijn in ba 5a seim "Vtrein ENGLISH INTONATION J00 sou gaen 6a konv9/seijn bi i or sou i' or sou i "Vm, \ju: || jo 69 9v jo:z, ? | 5aet ->buk baut "\koulm9n, || || bai /seiirj veri masn wontid ta >si: /nou, ~~ju: /nou, or loukwigl ^irjglil o SAmGir), 0' /SAmGig or kgloukwigl MrigliJ ? k9 || f9\get || sou or " gf \ko:s sou or gud , /neim, 99 /pruifs?" 9i igzaekt did ju: 9: si: sou 9f \ko:s sed: || sed: 1>ai 9f ko:s sed: ->b:d, jes sapouz let 69m pAbliJ eniGirj wid mai neim tu'^it wi9aut nouir) we59 6ei d IxiAn it propgli." ^didnt ? ju : biVjaen 89 konvaseijn bai seiir): bigaen 89 konvaseijn bai seiin: dAn or it l^propgli." ju didnt S9pouz or it sou 5en i' it .9i || b9t, wel, or 5gr 9: sou A propgli." || .9: 1| _t9 put || jo %fi:linz, t9 h9it jo it 1>fi:linz, /blAntli 1>blAntli, 9w mis^teiks in it." sed "/rigli? or t9 "\put it lot mai neim tu dount wont t9 hg:t or dount wont it /propgli." "wel, luk \hi9 or pAbliJ eni0ir) wi5 sed: luk >hi9 "wel, 9gm wi5aut nouir) weQg Sei d /dAn dAn or ai let || 5set s /intristin, "\ri9li? || \6aet s || /intristin low level tone-group without a nucleus Neutral tone PHONETIC TEXTS IN TONETIC TRANSCRIPTION 101 kan ju menjn WAR oif/haend?" or kan ju: Anenjn wAn o:f/haend?" || _sou "wel i sed 1 ju' v got or wot waz \sent9ns." \gest || || || _ etc in /WAn sentgns." ^kAmirj 9z maetor _wot W9z /kAmirj || faekt _92 maeter pri >noutist, ju or ju or "^Vm! ||6set s or An! or \sori i W9Z rif9:rir) t9 _ Sast s raxte /si9ri9s! 9baut m \sori || /siarigs! 1>6aet || 9baut /5aet went or 0ru: 69 pru:fs veri /ks9f9li in\di:d." in\di:d went 6ru: 89 ^pru^s veri kegfgli or _sou || || i f went 0ru: 89 /pru:fs veri kegfgli || in\di:d went on: l, " or _wel, 9V 89 misteiks or 1>mei bi' || ^mei misprint, mis\print, \rnei bi || || || or or /WAn 9v 89 or or "^"wAn 9v 89 misteiks || Low haednt S9m mis>prints ^5set s ra:59 || /si: ra:59 \si9ri9s! || || /faekt si: d3Ast sed or pritendid tg 6ink """"ai sou _ WAR kept /kwai9t gbaut it, tendid t9 Gink i W9z rifgirir) t9 S9m mis^prints b9t ai in || \gest m || or 1>tu: "wel ju v got 1>tu: "wel ju- v got \tu: or Ijmei bi' misprint, misteiks \mei bi bi' f misprint, -\rnei bi' misprint, || || imWprint, level tone-group without a nucleus || etc ENGLISH INTONATION I02 V5g bat 5i || ^vka:nt bi' V5g bat 5i or or ka:nt bi' || ju ""~gnd ju v put Shu:' and ju v put 'Mm:' or || fg ' v put or or hu: z on 69 \kAV9 || || >sent9ns '>hu:m.' on 59 >kAvg, tu:1 || /tu: || on 59 >kAV9 || end 9v || /tu: or or buk >Ap or evriwAn or buk \Ap or si: it || || _Sen 5ei \si: it p9:sn t9 b:n inglij from! '\5set s fain pg:sn t9 or wai, hi kcnnt to:k or wai, hi or _ ^wai, b:n irjglij from! propgli im\self kcunt to:k it propgli im->self it ka:nt to:k hi it /propgli || im^self or or jl i ' ko:s sed: f ""\wel, ' gv "^'got t9 >pAbliJ it?' hu:ev9 kgn i' gv got tg >pAbliJ it?' ""hu: "^"evg kgn _sou \buk Ap drekli 5ei pik 59 || sei "\>53et s fain >bai?' >sentgns, 9t 5i drekli 5ei pik 59 >buk Ap drekli 5ei pik 59 >buk Ap "\evriwAn si: it drekli 5ei pik 59 >buk Ap evriwAn ^si: it evriwAn _ it || Shu:m.' f9 ju end av "~"gt 5i prepg^zijn v prepg>zijn put ""ju v put f I) eniwAn sez if d3Ast or _ or ^ai 5set tg eniwAn, if wel, ^mi:, etc sei: , Jl Jl d3Ast d3Ast on 59 >kAV9, I! _ sei: sei: \tu: would mean "also on the cover." Low Heterogeneous Tone-Group without a nucleus level Tone-group without a nucleus PHONETIC TEXTS IN TONETIC TRANSCRIPTION '"Vwel, wot || s av ariAf far prafesar gud irjglij wot s gud aiiAf, etc wot s gud 9nAf far prefesgr 9v or 'wel, or 'wel, or gud 9nAf fg Vni:.' z gud anAf f9 /mi:.' z gud anAf Alitzritja Iditeritjg 103 || z irjglij ' ' or sou ' fa /mi:.' || 9f \ko:s sou or || hi fel inta f ko:s 69 traep 9t "VwAns 99 traep 9t "\wAns fel int9 i _ hi sed: "pra fesgr 9v irjglij /litzritja? " hu: da ju >mi:n? " or hu: da ju "\mi:n? 1 _sou f ko:s sed: ">jm._ v d3Ast meid 69 veri misteiks ju 9kju:z >mi: ov or ju: v d3Ast meid 69 veri misteiks ju 9kju:z \mi: ov or tyui v d^Ast meid 59 veri misteiks ju 9kju:z ^mi: ov or ju: v d3Ast meid 5g veri misteiks ju akju:z >mi: ov ju 1 1 ? or _ fg:st veri mis/teiks 69 ju 1 || ju "l^dset s fain pg:sn t9 b:n irjglij ' or Saet s fain p9:sn t9 or 9kju:z >mi: ov sed: 6ast s fain pg:sn ta _ from! b:n b:n ' inglij ^from! >irjglij || 5set s prepazijn 9t 6i or 5set s or ju ' end 9v /sentgns end 9u 59 \sent9ns prepg \zijn 9t 5i end 9y 59 >sent9ns or _5en /from! Sset s prepgzijn 9t 5i ' || went on bai seiig l Sen ju went Ion bai : seiirj: Low-level Tone-Group without a nucleus Quoting the intonation used by the other speaker The speaker wishes to emphasize the preposition gud ENGLISH INTONATION I04 ' 3v ""got ta ->pAbliJ it? hu:eva kan i' av got t9 -\pAbliJ it? 'hu:eva kan i av got ta \pAbliJ it? '\hu:eva kan i av got ta pAbliJ it? eva kan "~"hu: i' ' or ' or ' or Saet s 'Mm:' \\ insted av '\hu:m.' or _ or "VSaet s or 1x3aet s daet s '/hu:' || || || insted av Vhu:m.' insted av '\hu:m.' 'hu:' insted av '\hu:m.' 'u:' _ o:f bai seiin: an^ ju v finijt d3Ast or and ju v d3Ast finijt 1>o:f, etc or Shu: da ju mi:n? hu: da ju >mi:n? ' or 'hu: d9 ju ' ? ' and ju v or Saet s f a\nA5a \ko:s || dinaid hi' or f \ko:s or f \kos pi:pl laik daet or || i an af \ko:s || ^sed bai seiin, i i' || \sed it 'Vsed it neva \du: admit Sei to:k ^aet neva \du: || etc ' it dilrtiaid pi:pl laik or av 'hu:m.' di'kiaid hi' hi' finijt o:f d3Ast 'hu:' insted- || Saet wei neva \du: admit, etc adl^mit Sei to:k Saet wei ju ka:nt ^pru:v it or an af \ko:s ju ka:nt /pru:v it anles Sei v bi'n to:kig intu a /graemafoun || || _ or , 1>gr8emafoun \stil, hi \nju: o:l Sa taim hi' d l^sed or hi nju: o:l Sa \taim hi' || _sou ^ou or || i it, d /sed it, bigaen ta sei: >wel, " \ou || "\wel, Low Quoting the intonation used by the other speaker The speaker wishes to emphasize the element " who." level Tone-Group without a nucleus Mni:n? PHONETIC TEXTS IN TONETIC TRANSCRIPTION waz ounli piipl ad sei ounli seiig wot Ada 1>pi:pl ad or or \pi:pl "\ounli seiirj ad || wot sei etc sei \wudnt veri laikli 5ei spi:k paifikli k^rekli." sed: sou "ju nou or /ju: wot %A5a seiir) waz waz or 105 >wel paifikli ju nou wel \pa:fikli an nainti nain aut av a hAndrid edsukeitid inglijman || "Voilwiz toik laik 5set." " or nou ju paifikli wel ju: an nainti nain aut av a hAndrid edsukeitid inglijman /o:lwiz to:k laik 5aet." or nou ju " ju wel paifikli sou >o:lwiz to:k laik 5aet." sed i1 dount nou wot jo: ->to:kig abaut." " dount nou wot jo: >to:kig abaut." ju " or dount nou wot jo: \to:kig abaut." ju or "^"ju dount nou wot jo: -^to:kig abaut." or 1 ju /si:? ? d put hi' a prepa \zijn at 5i end av 6a \sentans agen! d put a prepa^zijn \\etc si: hi d put a prepazijn at 5i end av 6a sentans a\gen! ju or or 5en i || hi wot 5en i so: or i 1 d \dAn, wot i' d dAn, \so: an bigsen kaVektig imself f \ko:s kudnt help \la:fin, || an or f ko:s 1*ai or f \ko:s || kudnt help \la:fin, kudnt help /Icnfin, || put im intu a baed \tempa an /6set put im intu a baed \tempa a not on "Vspi:kii) ta:mz /nau I^Saet || or wi || || or || Imau From Coleman's The Kind Low level of English I use in Ordinary Conversation Tone-Group without a nucleus PRINTED BY AND SONS LTD., CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND W HEFFER University of Toronto Library DO NOT REMOVE THE CARD FROM THIS POCKET Acme Library Card Pocket Under Pat "^ef Index File" Made by LIBRARY BUREAU [...]... or indications of any sort ground With the development of the science of intonation, the foreign student of spoken English is shown exactly what the English tone-system is, and what steps he must take in order to speak as the English do The J By Professor D M Beach, of the University of Peking, whose remarkable have important effects on the teaching studies on Chinese Intonation are likely to and learning... Chinese 4 French tone-system English student of French is told not only what the must refrain from using that he more is but important) is, perhaps (what his English tone -system when he is speaking French The English student of Chinese will not only be told in what respect Chinese intonation differs from English, but he will also be shown in what ways he can utilize his English tone-habits as an aid... students are likely to speak as English natives do until they have trained themselves to observe and to difficulties reproduce what they hear This last consideration is the chief function of these Systematic Exercises in English Intonation 1 See the alternatives and variants given in the pages devoted to tonetic transcription of texts, part xii Table of Contents PAGE EXERCISES PREFACE KEY TO PHONETIC... EXERCISES PAGE HEADS." 28 EXERCISES : TABLE OF CONTENTS xi PAGE EXERCISES Tone-Group3 Tone-Group 3 Tone-Group 3 Tone -Group 4 Tone-Group 4 SECTION VIII Superior Head VJ [ Unbroken Scandent Head ["~~"V1 Broken Scandent Head [ V] Unbroken Scandent Head [""-*] Broken Scandent Head ["""0] .161-164 60 .165-166 61 167-170 62 .171-174 63 .175-178 64 FIVE-SYLLABLE EXERCISES ON THE TONE-GROUPS, with. .. (with the intonation indicated) the five examples of the exercise He may do this once or several times The student or students then imitate the teacher's performance Should they experience difficulty, the teacher may intone with exaggerated slowness or degree of pitch Having successfully imitated the teacher, the student will any may be called upon to read off the examples without being prompted ENGLISH. .. mait si: These being invariable im = rules, r and not V such tails ' need not be marked in tonetic transcription Other peculiarities of the exercises based will be noticed in the dot notation of some on Tone-Group 3 E.g Exercises 56, 57 ENGLISH INTONATION 12 Exercises Tone-Group Exercise Falling Nucleus, 6 X X "\nouw9 \ai du: \lisn not? ~\du: ju 1 V X ? \maentjist9 nou gud i-syll Tail Non-intensified... and systematic exercises based on positive data; we proceed by sure steps from the known to the unknown The path of the student is still beset with difficulties, but there is at least a path for him to follow, a more or less clearly denned track, whereas without such linguistic sciences there is no path are desultory, haphazard at all; the student has to grope his way across a treacherous without guides... which are sometimes inserted and sometimes omitted For further details concerning the phonetic notation see Professor Jones' Pronouncing Dictionary, his Outline of English Phonetics, or my First Course of English Phonetics The symbols of the exercises relating to tonetics will each be explained in the course Section I Introduction anyone wrote the following sentence in a letter to you "He doesn't lend... a very low note, and conclude with the syllable dy approximately on the same level as the beginning of the word 1 1 Or, as an alternative, the first syllable may be pitched on a mid-tone, the second on a high tone, the third on a low tone, and the last on the mid-tone Let us add, however, that a Scottish speaker may intone the word in neither of these manners I ENGLISH INTONATION 2 Let us express this... words such as "here" or "now" by singing them in different ways With the falling tone, "here" means "I tell you this is the place"; on a INTRODUCTION 3 same word means "Is this the place?" With the midcombination [V] the same word means "Not in the place high-low-mid in this but mention, place." you rising tone the Coleman has furnished me with the following interesting example: = It wouldn't matter They