This is the text we worked with today. As I always tell you, there can be several ways of marking intonation and, therefore, of reading a text. The markup shown in the text below faithfully represents the choices I made in today's dictation, and fairly resembles (except for some tone units) the choices made in the audio version. I hope you find it useful*. I would also like to read in the comments area how you interpret some of the choices made. Your analyses do not need to be highly technical but you are invited to explain the choices as has been done in class.
* The text above was taken from
Saslow, J. & Ascher, A. (2006). Top notch 3. Teacher’s edition and lesson planner. New York: Pearson Longman.
Hi there! after checking the text, I can say my choices were quite good =) ..besides the teacher "exaggerated" intonation while reading, it´s really important to hear AND feel the thumping sounds to mark intonation properly.
ReplyDeleteSome parts to highlight:
- //aren´t you?// - this line takes a "rise" tone. It´s a "making sure question", when the speaker wants to check the information he/she is asking about. These kind of questions normally take a rise or a fall-rise tone.
- //yes, that´s right// - "Definitive fall" (falling tone). When the answer of the speaker is TOTALLY affirmative.
- //strengths?// Echo questions: they repeat what the other speaker has just said. They take the same prominent syllable EXCEPT for the TONE.
Normally, they take rise or falling-rise tones.
- //you´re compassionate? in what way?// In this case, it is a "Finding out question". It indicates that the speaker wants to know new information. "Finding out questions" normally take a "Falling" tone.
- //other people´s feelings// //to put myself in their shoes// -- "RISE" tone in both tone units. The speaker is "LISTING" some important points, so we use a rising tone.
Well, have a nice weekend..! :)
See u next Wednesday!
Soledad Mucilli.
You've explained almost everything!!
DeleteAs for the question tag, today we will study them. In "You're compasssionate" the speaker is acknowledging the information, as if saying "Mhmm" "OK" and then he is interested in the hearer exapnding on the idea: a genuine "finding out" question. Great!
As for the rest, I quite agree!
Cheers,
M
Hello there :)
ReplyDeleteI'll try to deal with some parts of the text which have not been explained in the comment above mine :)
-//I've just finished my studies// The speaker uses a falling tone here as he/she is giving new information. This is called the proclaiming tone. It also has an special social meaning which indicates distance, diverge and separateness between the speakers.
-//People say I have a lot of compassion// The speaker uses de dependant fall-rise which indicates the idea is not complete and there's much to come, probably more strengths of the speaker.
In the following extract, the tone I marked is different from the one the teacher chose. I'd like to know if a falling-rising tone is also possible here..
-//other people's feelings// The speaker uses the falling-rising tone to indicate the idea is incomplete and there is more to say. This information is said afterwards (to put myself in their shoes).
-//both my parents// The speaker uses the falling-rising tone to refer to information which is shared now as it has just been mentioned in the previous sentence.
Well, I hope the explanations are ok. See you on Wednesday! :)
Hi Marina,
DeleteThe social meaning of "distance" can be seen in the fact that the interviewer, not knowing any information about the interviewee, is in a way socially distant from him/her.
I'd rather say that //People say I have a lot of compassion// carries an IMPLICATIONAL FALL-RISE. Why? Because s/he doesn't finish the idea. There is some implicit meaning, for example "Well at least that's what people say. Let's see if you think the same" or some other implication.
"Other people's feelings" and "put myself in their shoes" could perfectly well have said with a fall-rise but I used a rise each time, as though it were an enumeration. The speaker may also be trying to retain the hearer's attention, as if saying "wait because I haven't finished yet".
As for the rest, I agree.
Regards,
M
Hi everybody! I am going to analyse some parts of the text. In the case of //Burgess// there is a falling which is called the definite fall, in this case he/she is sure that the person he/she is calling is Elena Burgess.
ReplyDeleteThe case of //yes// and //right// shows the same meaning as the previous case, in which the speaker is sure about who is she.
In the following extract the speaker uses a dependant full rise//this// because the idea is imcomplete, something is going to be completed later on.
//Well// In this case the speaker has a dominant role, the interviewer, as a consequence he uses a rising.
//shoes// In this case the speaker uses a full rise because he refers to something that has already been mentioned, in this case "to understand other people´s feelings"
I agree with Soledad when she says that //strenghs// is an echo question so a full-rise is the right option. However, I don´t agree with her when she says that //I´m able to understand other people´s feelings// and //to put myself in their shoes// are both enumerations, I think they are synonyms.
Well, I hope this short explanations prove useful and above all they were all right. See you tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul Carrera
Quite good job, Paul. I've got some comments on your analysis. First, the name Wells (2006) uses is DEFINITIVE, not definite. I'd say that first the speaker introduces the person's full name (by the way, with full names, we normally have the two names each with a prominence mark) as new but right next to it seeks a confirmation with a rise. (Today we will study the intoantion of questions).
DeleteMore than "extract", when analyzing conversation we say "turn". //This// with a fall rise may also be interpreted as shared information "this job", the one I'm trying to be hired to do.
What do you mean by "full rise"?
I don't agree with you on the fact that being able to understand someone is necessarily exactly like putting myself in their shoes', though they are similar. And even in enumerations we may repeat similar ideas...
Cheers!!
Hello! Well, there's not much left to say, I also think that //other people´s feelings// and //to put myself in their shoes// take both rise tones becuase it's a list, particularly an unfinished list. It could have been a rise on the first tone unit and a fall on the second unit to show that there are just two items in the list.
ReplyDeleteSee you!
Mariano
I totally agree with you Mariano!
DeleteHello everyone!
ReplyDeleteI think everything has been said.
Anyway, I totally agree in every comment you have made old folks, but I must disagree about // other people's feelings // - to put myself in their shoes // I think I must have gotten that from my parents // because I think the speaker uses the rising tone to express incompleteness, she uses a rising tone in the first two tone units to express she has not done yet with her explanation about why she's compassionate.
That's the only point I have to discuss.
Have a nice day :D
Diego A. Quinteros
You are right in saying that a rise may indicate incompleteness. In fact, that is exactly what Wells (2006) claims on p. 5 of his book.
DeleteCheers,
M
Today or tomorrow, I will upload my analysis of five utterances. The analysis includes a consideration of question tags...
ReplyDeleteHi, Martín,
ReplyDeleteRegarding your previous question to Paul about what he meant by "full rise", I think that he meant "fall rise". It's just a typo.
See you
Yeah. Sure. But just in case. Cheers, M
Delete