Intonation, as noted earlier, refers to the supersegmental (supralinear, prosodic) phonetic means of the modern Russian literary language.
Intonation in the broad sense of an elephant consists of the following elements:
1) melody of speech, that is, the movement of musical tone, raising and lowering the voice;
2) rhythm, that is, the ratio of strong and weak, long and short syllables;
3) tempo, that is, the speed of speech in time, acceleration and deceleration;
4) intensity of speech, that is, the strength or weakness of pronunciation, intensification and weakening of exhalation;
5) the presence or absence of intraphrase pauses that divide the phrase into speech beats;
6) timbre - the color of the sound, which depends on which overtones accompany the main tone, i.e. from complex oscillatory movements producing a sound wave; in the Russian language, timbre distinguishes from each other the diverse shades of stressed and unstressed vowels, as well as the different colors of consonants; timbre is an individual feature of sound (for men, women, and children, the timbre of speech is different; it is different for those who speak, say, bass or tenor), but there are also constant components of the color of sound, as a result of which [e] will always differ from [ a] or [p] from [m].
31. Types of intonation structures in Russian
In the Russian language, there are seven types of intonation structures (IC):
IK-1 (lower tone on the center vowel):
After the conversation he thought.
IK-2 (on the vowel of the center the tone movement is smooth or descending, verbal stress is increased):
Where should I go??
IK-3 (sharp increase in tone on the center vowel):
Isn't it Can forget?
IK-4 (on the vowel of the center, the tone decreases, then increases; the high tone level is maintained until the end of the structure):
A How same dinner?
IK-5 (two centers; on the vowel of the first center there is an increase in tone, on the vowel of the second center there is a decrease):
I haven't seen her for two years!
IK-6 (increasing tone on the center vowel, a high tone level is maintained until the end of the construction; IK-6 differs from IK-4 by a higher tone level on the center vowel, for example, when expressing bewilderment or evaluation):
What an interesting film!
IK-7 (increasing tone on the center vowel, for example, when expressing expressive negation):
Completed the task? – Completed!
32. Functional aspect of learning sounds. Sound of speech, sound of language, phoneme.
When appearing in speech, sound units serve to form and distinguish words and forms. Words and forms differ in the composition of the sound units that form them. The differences may be of a different nature: two words may differ completely in the composition of the sounds represented in them (cf.: count and dam); they may differ in the number of sounds (cf.: meadow and plow); a sequence of the same sounds (cf.: cat and current) and, finally, only one sound unit with the identity of all other units (cf.: house and lady, beat and drank, grew and mouth, damage and lesson, etc. .). If two words differ from each other in only one sound unit, and in all other respects they are identical, then it can be argued that in this case two sound units, opposed to each other in an identical phonetic position, perform a functional role in the language, acting as a means of differentiation of these word forms, i.e. as phonemes of the language. Consequently, a phoneme is a unit of the sound system of a language that can independently distinguish between words and forms. By comparing the word forms [dal] - [dol] - [dul] and dividing them into the sound units that make up these forms - [d/a/l] - [d/o/l] - [d/u/l], we can establish that they differ from each other in the vowels 1a], [o], [y], which are in the identical phonetic position - under stress between hard consonants (in the examples given, even between identical hard ones). This means that the only sound difference between these forms lies in the quality of the vowel, and therefore [a], [o], [y] act here as distinguishers of word forms, i.e., as phonemes. If these vowels can appear in the same phonetic position, then, consequently, their quality, i.e., the features that define them, does not depend on the position and is not determined by this position. However, such a statement will be inaccurate if one important circumstance is not taken into account. The point is that sound units always appear in the vicinity of other units and are influenced by them; Under such influence they can change their quality, that is, their inherent characteristics. Above (see § 64) it was already said about the change in stressed vowel sounds under the influence of neighboring hard and soft consonants: non-front vowels, under the influence of soft consonants, experience a movement forward, and front vowels, under the influence of hard ones, move back or, in the position between soft ones, acquire tension and closedness. If we compare the word forms [val] - [v'-al] - [va"l's] - [v'al'], then we can establish that in these word forms there are “different” sounds [a] - from [a] non-anterior to [a] anterior formation, but all these [a] have two identical features: they are all of lower rise and non-labialized; their difference lies in the non-anterior-anterior nature of the sound. Consequently, all these [a] have za features that do not depend on the position of the vowel (i.e., on the quality of neighboring consonants), and one feature that depends on this position. The independent signs are the degree of tongue elevation and the absence of labialization, and the dependent signs are the series of sound formation. If we compare the word forms [v'-al] and [v'-ol], [l'-ak] and [l'-uk], then we can again establish that they differ from each other in the vowels [¦а] - [- o] and [-a] - [*y], which do not completely coincide with [a] - [o] in [val] - [ox] and with [a] - [y] in [varnish] - [bow], but having the same signs of the degree of tongue elevation and the absence-presence of labialization. So, with the articulatory-physiological characteristics of vowels (see §61), there is no need to distinguish between features independent of position and features dependent on position; that is why three characteristics are assigned to each vowel sound: the degree of tongue elevation, the relationship to labialization and a series of formation. Now, when sound units are considered in functional terms, it is necessary to distinguish between independent, constant characteristics of sound units and dependent, variable characteristics, since phonemes differ from each other in terms of constant, or constitutive, characteristics, but they cannot differ from each other in terms of variables. Consequently, a phoneme is a sound unit that is formed by a set of constitutive features inherent in it and differs from another phoneme in the composition of these features. Variables that depend on position are not included in the definition of a phoneme. From here it becomes clear that a phoneme is not a actually pronounced speech sound, but a certain abstraction, an abstraction from speech sounds, a generalization of speech sounds into a higher-order unit. After all, if, based on what has been said about the constant characteristics of vowels of the Russian language, vowel phonemes are determined by their two constitutive characteristics, then it will be necessary to say that the phoneme (a) \, for example, is a vowel phoneme of the lower rise, non-labialized, (o) - the middle rise, labialized , (and) - upper rise, non-labialized, etc. and that according to these two characteristics, these phonemes are opposed to each other. However, in this case, the phoneme (a) appears both in the word form [bas] and in the word form [b'as'], phoneme (o) - in both the word form [m'-ot] and in the word form [t'bt']ya , phoneme (and) - both in the word form [p'il], and in the word form [ardor], although in each given word form the sound of speech is different compared to the sound in another word form. Therefore, we can say that the phoneme as a functional unit does not coincide with the sound of speech: it is only realized in the sounds of speech, which are its allophones. Each allophone of a phoneme differs from another allophone of the same phoneme by a variable feature that depends on position; and all allophones belong to a given phoneme because they all have the same set of constitutive features. So, the phoneme is not given to us in direct observation, because it is an abstract unit of the sound system; in direct observation - in speech - allophones of phonemes are given, i.e., speech sounds determined by a set of constant and variable features of sound units. The general definition of a phoneme can be formulated as follows: a phoneme is a unit of the sound system of a language, which can independently distinguish the word forms of a given language, contrasting with another phoneme in an identical phonetic position by a set of constitutive features inherent in each of them, and which is actually represented in speech by one or several speech sounds that are its allophones. If a phoneme is a generalization of its allophones in which it actually appears, and allophones as sounds include variable, positionally determined features, then, consequently, this generalization is the “removal” of everything positional and the reduction of an essentially unlimited number of speech sounds to a limited number of phonemes , which perform the functional role of distinguishing words and their forms in the language. So, for example, in the word forms [val], [v'-al], [va-l']ik, [v'el']it there are four “types” of [a], differing from each other in the nature of the position of the language in relation to to the anterior-non-anterior zone of formation, and the change in this character depends entirely on the hardness-softness of neighboring consonants. “Removing” this feature allows us to establish that all these four [a] can be “combined” into one by the presence of common features - lower rise and lack of labialization - independent of the phonetic position, i.e., constant; and that is why these four [a] can be represented as four allophones of one phoneme (a). Identification of various sound “representatives” of a particular phoneme allows us to establish a limited number of phonemes that satisfy all the needs of the language in distinguishing word forms. The ability to meet the needs of a language with a small number of phonemes is associated with the variety of combinations and with an extensive system of contrasting phonemes in identical phonetic conditions. The nature of compatibility and opposition of phonemes determines the specificity of the phonological system of a given language at a given stage of its development, just as the specificity of this system in comparison with the phonological systems of other languages.
He once said a wonderful thing: “There are 50 ways to say “yes”, and the same number of ways to say “no.” But there's only one way to write it down." We are talking about intonation here. After all, with its help you can not only express a thought, but also convey your attitude to what was said. What is intonation? Why is it so necessary?
Definition
Intonation is a change in the strength, pace and tone of speech. In other words, it is a variation in the sound of the voice. The main types of intonation are: narrative, exclamatory and interrogative. The first option is characterized by an even and calm pronunciation, but the last syllable is pronounced slightly lower than the rest. For example, the phrase “You took a ticket to Hawaii” is simply
A bright emotional color and highlighting the most important word in a higher tone - this concerns the exclamatory type of phonetic organization of speech (“You took a ticket to Hawaii!”). In sentences of the latter type, the question word is emphasized with increased intonation. This is done regardless of whether it is at the beginning or the end of the phrase (“Did you take a ticket to Hawaii?”).
Why change intonation?
The human voice is a wonderful instrument. If you use it correctly, you can use it to enliven your performance, touch your audience, and even bring tears to your eyes. And the most important thing is to encourage action. In everyday speech this usually does not pose a problem. But as far as this is concerned, certain difficulties may arise here.
Speech, even very meaningful, but without any changes in intonation, is similar to the work of a typewriter, which mints letters at the same pace. Ideally, the sound of the voice should resemble a melodic playing of a musical instrument. Some speakers, due to excitement or the fact that they are trying to read an already written text, forget about what intonation is. Therefore, their speech sounds really monotonous. Such performances lull you to sleep. In addition, if the speaker does not change the strength, pitch or tempo of his voice, then it is impossible to understand his personal attitude towards his own words.
How to do it?
But this cannot be achieved with the help of some technical techniques. For example, mark in the outline of a speech where you need to increase the strength of your voice and where you need to increase the tempo. Such a report will confuse the audience. Experienced speakers say that the secret of their success is that they try to understand the ideas they want to convey to their listeners. And then the intonation of speech does not sound artificial, but sincere.
Changing voice strength
This technique does not come down to a simple periodic increase or decrease in volume, which occurs with boring monotony. First of all, it would distort the meaning of what was said. On the other hand, too frequent and unjustified amplification of the voice would hurt the ear. It would look like someone was turning the radio volume up and down every now and then.
The strength of the voice is mainly determined by the material itself. For example, if you need to express an order, condemnation or deep conviction, then increasing the volume of speech would be very appropriate. Also in this way you can highlight the main points of the statement. Secondary thoughts must be expressed by lowering the volume and speeding up the tempo of speech. A tense and muffled voice conveys excitement and anxiety. But if you always speak too quietly, the audience may perceive this as uncertainty or indifference to your own words. Sometimes, through unjustified use of the intensity of the sound of speech, one may not achieve the final level. This happens in cases where words need not strength, but warmth.
What is intonation: changing tempo
In everyday conversations, words flow easily and spontaneously. If a person is excited about something, he speaks quickly. When he wants his listeners to remember his words well, he slows down the pace. But in public speaking this is not always easy. Especially if the speaker has memorized the text. In this case, his intonation is cold. He is focused only on not forgetting something. Accordingly, the pace of his speech will most likely be the same throughout the entire speech.
To avoid making such mistakes, you need to learn the basic techniques of competent conversation techniques. You should speed up your speech on unimportant details or insignificant details. But the main thoughts, significant arguments or climactic points must be voiced slowly, clearly, with arrangement. Another important point: you should never babble so fast that your diction suffers from it.
What is intonation: pitch
Without (modulation) speech would be devoid of euphony and emotionality. Joyful excitement and zeal can be conveyed by raising the tone, anxiety and sadness - by lowering it. Emotions help a speaker reach the hearts of his listeners. This means it’s easier to prompt them to take certain actions.
True, there are tonal languages (for example, Chinese) in which changing the pitch of the tone affects the meaning of the word itself. Therefore, there is a different concept of what intonation is. The Russian language is not one of these. But even in it, with the help of modulation, you can express different thoughts. For example, to turn it into an interrogative, its final part is pronounced with a rising intonation. As a result, we perceive the spoken phrase differently.
Intonation for any statement, be it everyday conversation or public speaking, is like spices for a dish. Without them it is tasteless. True, you need to use it wisely so as not to overdo it. In this case, the speech will look feigned and insincere.
The role of intonation in acting is obvious, as well as in oratory. The correctness of the selection of words in speech, their sound and effect on the public, has long been studied and is undeniable. Let's try to understand in more detail what intonation is, what it is, where it is used, etc.
What is the intonation in Russian? Types of intonation.
The means of phonetic organization of speech (intonation) is divided into three types:
- Narrative;
- Interrogative;
- Exclamation.
The first type is characterized by smooth and, accordingly, calm pronunciation of speech. The story flows smoothly, periodically slightly raising the voice (intonation peak) and lowering it (intonation decrease). This method is usually not used constantly. In any case, the speaker or actor has to use the second and third types of phonetic organization. Question intonation is characterized by a rise in the tone of voice at the beginning, and a decrease in tone towards the end of the phrase. In general, the name clearly reflects the essence of this species.
For exclamatory intonation, the opposite state of affairs is more typical: the tone rises towards the end of the utterance. A pronounced emotional color easily attracts the attention of the public. Obviously, neither method is used independently.
Actors, like speakers, are characterized by a transition or gradual alternation of one type with another. Correct intonation should be developed during classes with teachers. You can also achieve development at home. To do this, you can use a method such as reading aloud. At the same time, you need to pay attention to the punctuation marks placed at the end of the sentence. Comprehension is impossible without developing the correct intonation.
Correct intonation: what is this?
The pace of the story is also important. Or more precisely, the speed of reproduction of the monologue. A fast pace is typical for excited speech. But the slow one is for the solemn occasion. Smooth transition from one speed to another is often used in various fields. Of course, intonation in Russian is impossible without intensity (voice strength). This is an opportunity to either add an emotional color to the story, or vice versa – to slow down the momentum. The first case is observed when expressing emotions such as fear or joy. But a decrease in the strength of the voice is typical for expressing sad feelings, loss of loved ones, etc. Correct intonation is not possible without logical pauses, which are simply necessary for the public to comprehend what the speaker or actor has said. And lastly, in order to express your emotions qualitatively through various means and types of intonation, good diction is important. Without her, no performance is possible. In general, it involves many components, both theoretical preparation and practice. Of course, speech should be distinguished by logical expressiveness, but emotional expressiveness is no less important. A thought that the speaker has not felt will not touch the viewer, no matter how well the technical intonation of the voice is worked out.
Only under the condition of proper mental assessment and expression of a personal attitude towards the spoken text can the listener be interested. Indeed, in this case, such components of intonation as emotional stress and thoughtful pauses, determined by both the mood and feelings of the speaker, are clearly manifested.
There is no doubt that punctuation and intonation are closely interconnected. Once you forget about punctuation marks, speech immediately becomes monotonous, turns into a lifeless gray monolith that can only make the listener yawn. But the main functions of intonation are aimed at increasing interest in the story, breaking it down into semantic pieces (so-called syntagms). Some experts contrast intonation with prosody. It is enough for the average person to know that, unlike intonation that operates with phrases, prosody is based on syllables. To the basic elements of intonation usually include: 1. Accents. 2. Pauses. 3. Timbre. 4. Melodics. 5. Temp. However, in reality, all elements of intonation exist in unity. Only science can consider individual components for its own purposes. It is worth pointing out negative examples of intonation. Thus, typical mistakes usually include monotony of speech, too high (low) tone of the entire text of the speech, rising intonation at the end of narrative sentences and insufficient expressiveness of speech. You need to work hard on such shortcomings every day, especially if constant performances are expected.
School textbooks distinguish these types of sentences by intonation: non-exclamatory and exclamatory. The second type is characterized by the expression of strong feelings.
Many people mistakenly believe that intonation sentences are interrogative, exclamatory and declarative. However, this division is carried out not on the basis of intonation, but on the purpose of the speaker’s statement. The famous researcher of the great and powerful language, Vsevolodsky-Gerngross, in his works, on the question of what intonations are, identifies at least 16 types of intonation. Among them: invitational and comparative, imperative and vocative, persuasive and enumerative, pleading and affirmative, etc. Describing the definition of intonation, this scientist notes that it is the most ephemeral component of colorful oral speech. In this case, the most important acoustic characteristics of intonation are melody, duration and intensity.
In the age of modern technology, many strive to move away from outdated methods and principles, but there are things that remain unchanged for any time. Thus, communication is gradually moving into the electronic or written sphere, but at the same time there remain categories of people and professions for which the quality of speech, diction and intonation are important. Moreover, in everyday speech, such aspects often acquire strategic importance, since a person’s disposition, the future tone of the conversation and its result depend on stress and intonation. There's no denying that many jobs these days require knowledge of the basics.
For whom is intonation important?
What is intonation? This is the correct emphasis in the flow of speech, the rhythmic and melodic structure of speech, and therefore active intonation techniques remain melody, timbre, voice volume, pauses, logical stress and tempo of speech. Fast, awkward, alternately quiet and loud speech without pauses and logical stresses is uninteresting and tiring. Only girlfriends or old friends who have not seen each other for a long time can communicate this way, but for an adult, well-mannered person, such flaws are disastrous.
Working on intonation is important for speakers, teachers, managers, marketers and representatives of other professions in which success and results depend on the quality of speech.
It is important to be able to convey feelings and emotions through intonation, so as not to involve volume and voices. We should not forget that in everyday communication, incorrect intonation leads to misunderstanding, and possibly even conflict situations. For those who talk a lot due to their professional activities, it is important not only to be a good speaker, but also to know in case you have overloaded them.
How to train stress and intonation?
To work on intonation, you should use the most popular proven techniques. But the most important thing is to listen and read a lot. It is better to pronounce high-quality texts out loud, paying attention to punctuation marks; similarly, it is good to listen to recordings of poetry readings or theatrical performances. This will help you grasp the subtlety of intonation, understand its meaning and importance.
Today, logical stress, intonation, timbre, pauses and much more in speech are placed incorrectly, so the meaning is difficult. In order to train your correct speech skills, you should perform a number of simple exercises. An example of the first is the famous phrase “Execution cannot be pardoned.” In it, fate and life depend on the correct intonation and, accordingly, the punctuation mark. It is also useful to read poems and phrases, emphasizing the meaning of certain words. At the same time, a change in the meaning, and therefore the result of speech, is demonstrated.
It is extremely important not to forget about training, hone correct breathing, take into account logical accents in speech and punctuation marks when reading.
A little theory
Before performing exercises to develop intonation, you should remember the theory. In the great and powerful language, there are 6 types of unfinished intonation: isolation and enumeration, introduction and warning, vocative and opposition.
When listing, pauses should be made after each homogeneous member, and logical stress should be placed on the members themselves. Introductory intonation is characterized by a rapid pace of speech and the absence of both pauses and logical stresses.
Isolated members of the sentence are separated by pauses (the first pause is longer and the second is shorter) from the base of the sentence, while highlighting them with emphasis.
Warning intonation (also called an intonation colon) is characterized by breaking a sentence into two parts with a deep pause. At the same time, the second part begins to be pronounced in a higher voice.
Contrastive intonation is usually inherent in complex sentences. In writing, it is expressed with the punctuation mark dash. The pronunciation of the contrastive exercise for intonation is distinguished by a pause in the middle of the sentence and a sharp rise in voice at the beginning of the second part and at the end of the first. together with knowledge of theory give excellent results.
200. 1. Read the text and explain how intonation is related to the rules of speech etiquette.
But speech etiquette is not limited to memorizing special etiquette words, expressions and their appropriate use in speech.
Speech behavior is a mirror that reflects the level of education and internal culture of a person. After all, only a sincere friendly attitude towards the interlocutor, true concern for his well-being encourages a person to express his friendliness and favor with the help of verbal signs of attention.
Intonation plays a huge role in observing the rules of speech communication. Without it there can be no oral speech at all. Thoughts, feelings, moods are consciously or involuntarily conveyed using intonation means (melody, logical stress, pauses, tone, timbre of voice, tempo of speech). The role of intonation is so great that it can even change the meaning of a word. "Good!" – we exclaim approvingly at the sight of a luxurious bouquet of flowers. The same word in a different speech setting can express a completely different meaning. Having met a dirty, shaggy boy on the street, we mockingly say, lowering our voice on the stressed vowel and extending this sound: “Ho-ro-oo-osh!” Depending on the speech situation, the speaker’s intentions, his state of mind, the sentence The storm is coming can be pronounced indifferently, calmly, restrainedly, with fear, anxiety, horror or joy, delight. Intonation, like facial expressions and gestures, can sometimes tell more than words. This is why we often trust intonation rather than the literal meaning of a phrase.
The special role of intonation in communication has been recognized by people for a long time. Thus, there is evidence that the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates expressed his opinion about a person only after hearing his voice. Interesting are the observations of another scientist who lived in the 13th century, Abdul-Faraj: “He who speaks, gradually lowering his voice, is undoubtedly deeply saddened by something...; he who speaks in a weak voice is timid as a lamb; he who speaks shrilly and incoherently is as stupid as a goat.” Without a doubt, intonation carries extremely important information about a person, and not only about his character, mood, upbringing, but even about his profession. This is evidenced by an experiment once conducted by UK radio. Nine readers performed on air, and listeners were asked to identify their gender, age and profession. The actor, the judge and the priest were unmistakably recognized, since their voices had a professional production and specific intonations.
2. Make a plan for the text and retell it in parts.
201. Thanks to intonation, we can grasp the meaning of a statement even without knowing the words that make it up. At the same time, the role of intonation increases as the emotionality of speech increases.
Read the text to yourself first. Think about the intonation with which the owner pronounced the highlighted sentence. Read the text aloud expressively, trying to convey this intonation.
Here's a little story. A friend of mine in Losiny Ostrov lived with a young male hound. The dog always wanted to run, and she poked her nose into the knees of those sitting, inviting them to leave the house. The words “In place!”, “In the corner!” didn't work. Then the owner said quietly, but sternly: “Who killed Kennedy?!” And the dog, embarrassed, looking around guiltily, crawled on his stomach into his corner and froze for a long time. Intonation! Both people and animals sense intonation very subtly.
(IN. Peskov)
202. Have you ever witnessed animals respond correctly to the intonation of human speech? Tell us about these cases.
203. Read the text and explain what the facts in it indicate. Can we say that intonation is capable of expressing meaning independently, without relying on the content of the statement? What role does intonation play in a child’s language acquisition?
Scientists studying the development of speech in children have found that if words are replaced in a statement addressed to a ten-month-old child, but the intonation remains the same, then the child’s reaction to speech will not change. The situation is different with children older than 10 months: their reaction changes if the same intonation is maintained in the statement addressed to them, but the sound structure changes. It is also known that infants, even without speaking, often turn to loved ones, uttering a stream of meaningless words, and such speaking in intonation and rhythm is very reminiscent of real speech.
204. The remarkable Russian linguist L.V. Shcherba wrote that it seems to Russians that the French, when speaking, seem to sing. But Russians, according to the scientist, actually “sing” even more than the French, although they do not notice it in themselves. Moreover, they “sing” in different ways: in Moscow it is more sweeping and free, but in Leningrad it is monotonous singing, since in the speech of Leningraders unstressed vowels are reduced less.
Give your thoughts on this opinion. Give reasons for your point of view.
The bird is red with a feather, and speech is with words
Russian dialects have not only phonetic, lexical and grammatical, but also intonation features that do not coincide with the norms of the literary language. Many writers have noted the original beauty of northern dialects. Thus, Fyodor Abramov, admiring the northern “talk”, northern speech, where the word sings, plays, amuses and heals a person, wrote: “I have always been attracted by the opportunity to capture the beauty and inexplicable charm of Russian folk speech, to record it, to understand.”
205. 1. Read and explain what the first friend wanted to say and what the second friend wanted to say.
Two friends are standing in the hall of an art gallery. One of them exclaimed: “What a picture!” And another said: “What picture?”
2. What means of oral speech influenced the meaning of what the friends said? What written language is used to convey the different meanings of these sentences? Draw a conclusion.
206. 1. The famous linguist Karl Vossler called intonation “the soul of the word” (instead of the term intonation he used the word accent). Carefully read an excerpt from the book of this scientist. Explain how you understand the linguist's statement.
To understand what an accent is, take it away from the language. What's left? There will be nothing left of oral speech. If it is graphically fixed, there will be empty shells piled up in a heap, which are called letters. In this case, there is absolutely no need to utter at least a single sound; you can use an accent without resorting to the help of the speech organs - the accent is so spiritual and internal to the language.
2. Do you think the linguist is right in believing that intonation is present not only in oral speech, but also in written text (“you can use an accent without resorting to the action of the speech organs”)? Conduct an experiment that can confirm or refute this statement.
207. Read and retell the text.
In oral speech, intonation plays the role of organizing the sound flow into meaningful utterances. Without intonation there can be no oral speech.
It is intonation, like the colors in a painting, that gives our “speech canvas” a picturesque flavor. After all, even the most common question What time is it now? can be said so darkly that no one wants to answer it. Intonation also plays an etiquette role in speech.
Intonation is a complex phenomenon. It consists of several elements: melodica(raising and lowering the tone of voice), logical(semantic) accents, volume(strength) of the sound of different parts of the utterance, tempo speeches, timbre(“color” of the voice, which depends on the individual characteristics of the vocal cords), pauses(breaks in sound). Each element of intonation is indicated by special symbols: /, //, /// – pauses of different lengths (short, medium long, long), ……. – logical stress, …….. – enhanced logical stress, ^ – raising the voice, v – lowering the voice.
Intonation elements, like pieces of glass in a kaleidoscope, can be combined with each other in different ways, forming a large number of intonation patterns.
Intonation in the Russian language is rich and exceptionally diverse.
208. Read the dialogue out loud expressively and explain why irritation appeared between its participants. What norms of speech etiquette have been violated? Now change the dialogue so that the tone of communication becomes friendly.
- I'm coming! – the son answers, unable to tear himself away from the computer game.
- Well, are you going?
- I'm coming! – Vanya repeats, continuing the interesting game. He is in a hurry to finish the game as quickly as possible, but that is why he begins to make mistakes and the game drags on.
- Why don’t you go? Everything will cool down!
I'm coming! I'm coming!
- How do you talk? Do not be rude!
- What did I say?! I said “I’m coming!”
209. It has been found that an experienced lecturer speaks approximately 100-120 words per minute. Do you want to know what the pace of your speech is? To do this, take an excerpt from any exercise, consisting of 100-120 words, and read it out loud. If you read it in a minute, then your speech rate is normal. If you read it faster, you need to watch yourself to speak more slowly, but if you didn’t make it in a minute, work on speaking faster.
Talk to a smart guy and drink honey
In the 19th century, Russian composers drew attention to the fact that human speech, like music, is very melodic. A person’s speech seems to be filled with “melodic juice,” so speech intonation provides the composer with rich material for his works.
This discovery was later confirmed by linguists who studied intonation. Indeed, verbal and logical stress associated with changes in pitch create a combination of sounds of different pitches - a kind of melody. Melody is an important component of intonation. If we listen carefully to the spoken phrases, we will be able to record the melody, that is, the movement of the voice up or down, as well as the place of the melodic turning point - the point where this direction changes: the tone of the voice begins to rise up or fall down.
210. 1. Get acquainted with fragments of contemporaries’ memoirs about the lectures of the great Russian chemist Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev. What intonation features of this scientist’s speech especially amazed his contemporaries?
I. The intonation of his voice was constantly changing: now he spoke in high tenor notes, now in a low baritone, now in a patter, like small pebbles rolling down a mountain, now he will stop, draw out, look for a figurative expression for his thought and will always find something that in two in three words he will clearly express what he wanted to say. We soon got used to this original way of presentation, which was in harmony with the original appearance of Mendeleev and at the same time helped to assimilate what he said.
(V. Tishchenko)
II. If I were a musician, I think I could set Mendeleev’s lecture to music, and any of those who had the good fortune to listen to him would unmistakably recognize the sounds of this powerful voice, moving from a clearly audible whisper in the last corner of the audience to thunderous exclamations.
(B. Weinberg)
2. Try to describe your impressions about the intonation features of your favorite actor (singer, teacher, TV or radio show host).
Without a tongue and the bell is mute
In 1878, M. P. Mussorgsky worked on the opera “Marriage”. “My music,” he wrote, “must be an artistic work of human speech in all its subtlest bends, that is, the sounds of human speech... must... become music.”
The composer visits the Alexandria Theater and notes down the intonation of the actors in order to achieve the reproduction of “simple human speech” in his opera. This was the first recording of Russian intonation. Since then, musical notations have been used more than once to convey the melodic pattern of speech and indicate the duration of speech sounds.
211. 1. Read each proverb first to yourself, thinking about its content. Write down, indicating logical stress, raising, lowering the voice, pauses. Read the proverbs out loud, making sure the intonation is correct.
1) A courteous word calms a violent head. 2) Ringing is not prayer, shouting is not conversation. 3) A kind word is better than a soft pie. 4) An unkind word that fire burns. 5) Language is a banner, it leads the squad. 6) A spoon leads to dinner, and a word leads to an answer. 7) If you say it, you won’t turn it back, if you write it, you won’t erase it, if you chop it off, you won’t put it back.
2. Using materials ex. 38 and this exercise, prepare a message on the topic “Russian proverbs about the rules of speech etiquette.”
212. In the “Dictionary of Epithets of the Russian Language” by K. S. Gorbachevich to the word tone More than 250 epithets are given. How many can you name?
213. Try to pronounce the word sentence Brought with an expression of threat, joy, admiration, indignation, anger, surprise, indecision. Let your listeners try to determine the mood you wanted to convey with your voice in each case. This task will help you check whether you have a good command of Russian intonation.
214. 1. Scientists have found that the word Hello can be pronounced in 40 ways, and the varied intonation helps with this. Try pronouncing this word in different ways. Let your comrades determine what semantic connotation (subtext) you put into this greeting in each case.
2. Read each etiquette formula of address in a different tone, conveying different semantic and emotional shades of the speech situation: joy, indifference, irony, anger, pride, etc.
Ladies and Gentlemen! Friends! Dear guests! Madam! Sir! Citizens! How are you? What's up? How are you? How are you feeling? How is your parents? See you. Till Monday. Good night.
215. 1. How do you understand the meaning of the following statements? Do you agree with them? Justify your point of view.
1) It’s not about the word, but about the tone in which this word is pronounced... (V. Belinsky) 2) People are offended not by the meaning, but by the intonation, because the intonation reveals another meaning, hidden and main. (YU. Trifonov) 3) The culture of feelings and emotional interpersonal relationships is inextricably linked with the culture of intonational “formatization” of statements. (B. Golovin)
2. Formulate the thoughts expressed in these statements in the form of rules of speech etiquette.
216. Say each sentence using your voice to express different feelings and moods. Observe what intonation features differ between pronunciation variants of sentences (voice movement, tempo, tone of speech, voice strength), how intonation, facial expressions and gestures are combined.
I do not remember(horror, despondency, indifference, ridicule, amazement, fear, triumph). I'll go(agreement, doubt, threat, daydreaming, determination, fear, joy). Come(order, plea, challenge, indifference, irony). Ivan Matveevich(caress, threat, request, shock, blame, surprise, doubt).
As you know, the motivation for any action can be expressed in the form of an order, demand, request, advice, wish. Observe which of the indicated shades receives the impulse to the same action in each sentence. Try to pronounce each phrase in a different tone, conveying a variety of moods. In what speech situation is each sentence appropriate? Which of these phrases should you avoid in speech and why? Draw a conclusion.
Come tomorrow! Please come tomorrow. Excuse me, can you come tomorrow? Be sure to come tomorrow! Can I ask you to come tomorrow? Why don't you come tomorrow? I advise you to come tomorrow, otherwise we will go to the dacha. I would really like you to come tomorrow. Will you come tomorrow or not?! I think I should come tomorrow. Please come back tomorrow. If you don't mind, come tomorrow. Do me a favor and come tomorrow. You should have come tomorrow! Won't you come tomorrow? Come back tomorrow!
218. You came to visit...; you meet guests...; you are talking on the phone...; you get on the bus... How should a well-mannered person behave in these situations? Formulate several rules of behavior using incentive sentences.
Sample: Do not enter the apartment without knocking. Greet the owners politely and take off your outer clothing.
219. How to encourage a person to stop his speech, stop talking? There are a huge number of language modes. Here are some of them.
Read each statement, explaining in what speech situation it is appropriate. Watch the tone of your statement. What expressions should not be used in speech and why?
Shut up! Briefly speaking! I think we should finish now. Enough talking! That's enough, thank you. Please finish your story. I know about it. Maybe that's enough?! Keep it short.
Get to the point. Stop doing that! Stop it! Your time is up. Sorry, I'll have to interrupt you.
I can’t get tired of talking, there would be something to say
Scientists believe that in the process of communication, intonation is more important than words. According to the calculations of the French psychologist François Sulger, speakers pay only 7% of significance to the content of statements, intonation - 38%, facial expressions and gestures - 55% (with regard to gestures, an allowance can be made for the French mentality: Russian people are more moderate in their gestures). Information gleaned from intonation is indeed always more important than information gleaned from the words themselves. Based on the voice of our interlocutor, we determine whether today or not today we should talk about a complex and delicate topic, whether our interlocutor is sincere, whether he is satisfied with the outcome of the conversation, etc.
Scientists prove that the listener of a lecture (report, teacher’s explanation, television or radio broadcast, etc.) does not assimilate up to 40% of the information that interests him, which is actually contained in the text, if the intonation, rate of speech, facial expressions, posture, gestures of the speaker do not consistent with the content of the text.
Try saying each sentence first with an expression of approval, then with a feeling of condemnation. Determine the intonation differences between different sentence options. What idea do these examples prove about the role of intonation in communication?
She is such a kind woman! This is some kind of miracle! How lovely! Well, how good are you!
What a beauty she is! He's still an interesting person.
221. Use examples to prove the validity of each statement.
1) The voice is only the clothing of living speech, and its soul is intonation. A beautiful voice with bad intonation is the same as a beautiful but stupid face. (WITH. Volkonsky) 2) Only in oral history, only in live speech How the man said turns into What the person said, because intonation can give a word many new meanings and even the opposite meaning. (AND. Andronikov) 3) The voice can be warm and soft, rough and gloomy, frightened and timid, jubilant and confident, malicious and insinuating, firm, lively, triumphant and with a thousand other shades, expressing a wide variety of feelings, moods of a person and even his thoughts. (IN. Morozov) 4) Intonation always lies on the border of verbal and non-verbal, said and unsaid. In intonation, the word is in direct contact with life. And above all, it is in intonation that the speaker comes into contact with the listener. The intonation is social... par excellence. (M. Bakhtin)
222. 1. Read, correctly placing logical stress in the first part of the sentence. Explain the semantic differences between these statements.
Did you do it or who else? Did you do this or something else? Did you do it or didn't you?
2. Write down these sentences and parse them. Explain what conjunction is used for. or in each of them. Draw a conclusion.
223. Using these examples, prove that logical stress is an expression of the semantic side of speech.
1) Better tell me! Better tell me. 2) He has only two sons. He only has two sons. 3) Veronica wrote a good essay. Veronica wrote. X. o.. r... o.. w... e.. e. essay. Veronica wrote a good essay. 4) Today we were at the local history museum. Today we were at the local history museum. Today we were at the local history museum. Today we were at the local history museum.
224. Explain how you understand the statement of the outstanding Russian director K. S. Stanislavsky. Justify your point of view using examples from literary texts.
Stress is the index finger that distinguishes the main word in a phrase or text. The highlighted word contains the soul, the inner essence, and the main points of the subtext.
Good speech is good and listen
When learning a foreign language, the most difficult thing to master is intonation, which, as you know, each language has its own unique characteristics. For example, people for whom English is their native language unwittingly transfer its intonation features into Russian phrases. Declarative, most interrogative sentences in English are pronounced with a lowering of the voice, but at the same time, unlike Russian melody, the sound of the last word sharply intensifies, which is perceived by the Russian ear as a slight increase. This rising intonation is heard in English greetings, expressions of gratitude, and friendly wishes.
225. What are the similarities and differences between sentence intonation in Russian and the foreign language you study at school?
226. 1. Explain which of the intonation options of the sentence expresses permission to continue the game, and which expresses the order to start it. Prove it.
2. Express this order in a more friendly and relaxed form. Read the sentences out loud, see if their intonation changes with the inclusion of etiquette formulas.
227. 1. What parts of speech are the highlighted words? What is the means of expressing grammatical differences between words when pronouncing these sentences? Draw a conclusion.
2. Using etiquette formulas, soften the order contained in these sentences. Does the intonation of the statements change?
228. Read the sentences out loud. In what case does the logical stress fall on the highlighted words? Prove that it is a means of semantic and grammatical differences between words and sentences.
1) Alice played So how all the children played. Alice played So, how all the children played.
2) I knew What interested my interlocutor. I knew, What interested my interlocutor.
3) The child did not understand What that was the inscription. The child did not understand What it was an inscription.
229. Read the sentences expressively, raising or lowering your voice on the stressed vowel. Determine why the direction of voice movement changes in the indicated words. What do the proposals from each group have in common? What is the difference? Draw a conclusion.
230. Compose a dialogue between a teacher and a student who is late for class. What intonation pattern will you use to express reproach?
What intonation patterns will appear in the student’s responses? Read the dialogue expressively.
231. Read each proverb to yourself, thinking about its content. Write down, indicating logical stress, raising, lowering the voice, pauses. Read the proverbs out loud, making sure the intonation is correct. Explain why proverbs are divided into three groups.
1) He who wants to know a lot needs to sleep little. The root of the teaching is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Teach your son as long as he’s laying across the bench, but you can’t teach him when he’s stretched out to his fullest. What you didn’t learn when you were young, you won’t know when you get old. Every skill comes from hard work. A spoon is needed to slurp soup, and a diploma is needed to gain knowledge.
2) Work is a matter of honor, be in first place in work. Look not at the person, but at his deeds. Labor feeds a person, but laziness spoils him. To eat a fish, you have to get into the water.
3) A man without friends is like a tree without roots. Friendship is like glass: if you break it, you won’t be able to put it back together. A bad friend is like a shadow: you can’t get rid of it on a sunny day, and you won’t find it on a stormy day. An untested friend is like an uncracked nut.
232. Restore the question using etiquette formulas and polite, friendly intonation. How do these mini-dialogues differ from each other in meaning?
233. Prove that each answer option requires a change in the logical stress in the question.
234. 1. How you pronounce the phrase Your ticket in the proposed speech situations? Try to graphically depict the melodic pattern of the phrase in each case.
1) Someone dropped a ticket, you picked it up and are looking for the owner. "Your ticket?" – you turn to the man standing next to you.
2) You are a controller. Your goal is to check whether bus passengers have tickets. "Your ticket?" – you turn to each one in turn, demanding to see the ticket.
3) The train arrives at its final destination. The carriage conductor hands out tickets to passengers. “Your ticket,” he hands you a travel document.
2. Explain how melody helps to distinguish sentences that are different in meaning but verbally identical. Draw an intonation pattern for each sentence.
235. 1. Try to role-play the situation shown in the picture. How should the phrase be pronounced? Your diary each participant in the scene? Draw the intonation pattern of these sentences.
2. Rearrange this phrase using etiquette formulas suitable for different speech situations.
And Moscow was not built right away
Since the 40s of the 20th century, sound-analyzing equipment began to be used to study intonation - it became possible to use a more accurate form of recording, showing in detail the features of melody, tempo, timbre of speech, pauses and other elements of intonation:
236. 1. Come up with different answers to the question Will you come to the opening of the exhibition? Use the following words in your answers.
I don't know if I can; Maybe; May be; hardly; I'm afraid not...; I think not...; I think yes; will try; perhaps; in no case… .
2. Say each answer option out loud. What feelings should you convey with your voice and facial expressions in each case?
237. 1. Analyze the sentences and draw a conclusion about whether it is possible to depict all intonation variants of the sentence using writing. What additional writing tools did you use for this?
2. Soften each phrase with special etiquette words and a friendly, welcoming intonation.
A kind word seduces many
Intonationally significant in speech emphatic(from Greek emphasis- “expressiveness”) emphasis, with the help of which there is not only a logical, but also an emotionally expressive selection of a word. Emphatic stress serves to express feelings. Scientists point out that emphatic stress expresses positive emotions differently than negative ones. Thus, lengthening a vowel most often conveys feelings of joy, delight, and tenderness: What a wonderful movie! My dear.
When expressing negative emotions, the vowel, on the contrary, becomes shorter, but at the same time the first consonant in the word expressing the negative emotion lengthens: Oh, you're such a crap!
238. What explains the unusual spelling of words and the use of quotation marks in the following examples? Read the sentences out loud, maintaining the required intonation.
1) “Marianna Vikentievna! – he exclaimed suddenly, needlessly loudly. “Are you going to give lessons at school again this year?” Marianna turned away from the cage: “And THIS interests you, Semyon Petrovich?” - “Of course, I’m very interested.” - “Wouldn’t you ban THIS?” (AND. Turgenev) 2) “This is Comrade Semenov... To-va-risch Se-me-nov!” – Chumakova screamed shrilly, waving her arms. (P. Pavlenko) 3) “What,” he thinks, “is this a joke? Not-itself?” (P. Bazhov) 4) I couldn’t imagine that children could live without a “home”. (V. Korolenko) 5) Once, even with an expression of greed on his face, he took her fox ear into his fist, patted it and said emphatically: “So... you... out... dead, cholera!” (A. Chekhov) 6) ...The work of a library is determined not by how many publications it has collected from the fifteenth or sixteenth century, but by how it serves its readers... How it serves! And you were chasing a sensation: s-e-n-s-a-c-i-e-y! (YU. Dombrovsky) 7) “I see!” – I answered him. And he repeated again, putting all his delight into it: “I see!” (G. Troepolsky) 8) ...Pay them not from the January fee, but from the future February fee, because now I don’t have a penny. Literally: no-gross! (A. Chekhov)
239. Draw the melody of the sentences. Compare different versions of the same sentence, the meaning of which will help determine the word in brackets. Explain how these options differ.
1) What gardens there are! (Divine.) What kind of gardens are there? (I'm interested in the characteristics of the gardens.) What kind of gardens there are! (Very bad.) What gardens there are! (The question is being clarified - interested in the characteristics of the gardens.) What kind of gardens are there? (The question is being clarified - where?)
2) When will he return? (Who.) When will he return? (Action.) When will he return? (Time.) When will he return? (Not soon.)
3) What do we know? (What, about what.) What do we know? (Who.) What do we know? (We know something very interesting.) What do we know? (The question is clarified - about what?) But what do we know? (The question is being clarified - who knows).
240. Compare offers. Explain how they differ. Draw a conclusion.
241. Read the sentence Wherehe was?, sequentially moving the emphasis from the first word to the last. Give an appropriate answer to each question.
Think about why the accent is called intonation center speech utterance. You can easily answer the question if you make an intonation drawing of each sentence option in the form of a graphic diagram.
242. Determine how many intonation and semantic variants the sentence has How dare he? Justify your answer.
243. Imagining different speech situations, act out a small dialogue. Observe how the intonation of the conversation, the verbal composition of phrases, and address formulas change. Explain why this happens.
- What time is it now?
- Five minutes to twelve.
A diagram will help you complete this task.
For a great cause - a great word
There are many ways to express a request in Russian: incentive sentences (Give me the book!) various morphological means, for example, the subjunctive form of the verb (Give me the book) or indefinite verb form (Give me the book!) special words and expressions softening the request (please be kind, be kind, is it difficult for you, do me a favor), intonation of an order, soft entreaty, etc. In each of these cases, the request takes on the connotation of an order or wish.
244. 1. Try to come up with small dialogues with an imaginary interlocutor. Ask him to borrow an audio or video tape you like for a while. Using a variety of linguistic means, express your request in the form of begging, entreaty, command, order, advice, consolation, wish.
Your interlocutor must refuse you either in a sharp, decisive form (Oh no! No way! No and no again! This is absolutely impossible!), or in a more polite form (you see..., you understand..., believe me..., unfortunately... etc.).
2. Now try with a friend to act out a skit at the theater before the start of a concert for which it is extremely difficult to buy tickets. One of the interlocutors asks the other to hand over the ticket in various ways. The friend, not wanting to part with the ticket, refuses. Despite stubborn resistance, the first participant in the dialogue must achieve his goal. What can help him with this?
245. Read four short dialogues. How do the sentences included in these dialogues differ from each other? Mentally think of a speech situation in which each of the dialogues is possible, and read it out loud with the correct intonation.
246. Imagine that you were absent from school for a long time due to illness, and tomorrow you are going to come to class for the first day. At the clinic, you look into the dentist’s office, where you find your classmate in a chair. He is waiting for the doctor (sitting with his mouth open) and, seeing you, with the help of gestures and intonation he is trying to communicate that there will be a test tomorrow. Act out this scene.
247. 1. Explain which pronunciation version of the sentence expresses a demand and which expresses a request.
2. Complicate sentences and requests with etiquette words.
248. In what speech situation should each of these options be used? Prove it.
249. Expressively read an excerpt from A.I. Kuprin’s story “Olesya”, conveying the author’s remarks with the appropriate intonation.
- Where are you going, Olesya? - Manuilikha suddenly asked, seeing that her granddaughter hastily threw a large gray woolen scarf over her head.
“I’ll go... I’ll spend a little time,” Olesya answered.
She said this indifferently, looking not at her grandmother, but out the window, but in her voice I caught a slightly noticeable shade of irritation.
-Are you going to go? – the old woman asked with emphasis.
Olesya’s eyes sparkled and focused point-blank on Manuilikha’s face.
- Yes, I’ll go! – she objected arrogantly. – This has been discussed and discussed for a long time... My business, my answer.
“Eh, you!..” the old woman exclaimed with annoyance and reproach.
She wanted to add something else, but just waved her hand.
250. How do you understand the words of the prominent figure of Russian enlightenment of the 19th century, philosopher, mathematician, linguist I. I. Davydov?
Prepare a short oral report based on the main idea of this statement. What will you call your performance?
We admire speech when we are not forced to guess its meaning; when the subject develops easily and consistently; when it flows like a transparent stream, the very bottom of which you can see.
251. Listen critically to your speech. Doesn’t she suffer from the vice that A.V. Govorov, a professor at Kazan University and author of works on oratory, wrote about in the 19th century?
Monotonous utterance, which lulls the beauty and partly the meaning of speech, is a misfortune not only for the audience, but also for the speaker himself; it is not only unpleasant for the listener, but also harmful for the speaker.
252. Read the statements of K. G. Paustovsky (I) and M. I. Tsvetaeva (II) about the role of punctuation marks in written text. Explain why both authors compare punctuation marks with musical notation. Can punctuation marks “suggest” the desired, correct intonation? What do punctuation marks “sound” like in spoken language? Illustrate this with example sentences from any exercise.
I. Punctuation marks are like musical notations. They hold the text firmly and prevent it from falling apart.
II. The book should be performed by the reader as a sonata. Signs are notes. It is up to the reader to realize or distort.
253. Read the text expressively and briefly formulate its main idea. Prove its validity.
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY...
...but in the way you say it. Most of us are shocked when we hear our own voice on a tape recording or answering machine because it is so different from what we expected. For others, such a problem does not exist, but it is still better to listen to yourself and analyze how your words sound. Loud, raised speech is poorly perceived, and those who speak very quickly often appear unworthy of attention. Remember that tone of voice is sometimes more important than words, so when you speak to a stranger, try to put feeling into your speech, even if you don't want to express more than words say. No one expects you to dramatically color your speech in imitation of famous politicians; it is enough that the intonation, speed and tone of your speech correspond to its real meaning.
(G. Wilson)
254 . Modern linguists believe that intonation performs several functions in speech, including communicative (communication function), meaning-distinguishing, emotional-expressive, and etiquette. Using examples, try to prove the validity of this thesis.
255. Using the materials from section 5 of the book, prepare a message on the topic “Intonation and the culture of verbal communication.”
256. Carefully read the statement of the famous Russian linguist and psychologist A. A. Leontyev. Explain the content of this statement in your own words.
To communicate fully, a person must, in principle, have a range of skills. He must, firstly, be able to quickly and correctly navigate communication conditions. He must, secondly, be able to correctly plan his speech and correctly choose the content of the act of communication. He must, thirdly, find adequate means to convey this content. Fourthly, it must provide feedback. If any of the links in the act of communication is violated, then the speaker will not be able to achieve the expected results of communication - it will be ineffective.
257. For a week, observe what gestures foreigners use. For this purpose, you can use movies, TV shows, exercise materials. 146 and 165.
Try to identify gestures that convey different meanings among Russians and among representatives of different peoples and nationalities. Based on your observations, write a short note “National specificity of gestures.”
258. Scroll through the entire book and try to tell what you learned while working with it, what new things you learned about your native language.
259. Review the book's table of contents. Answer the questions posed in the section titles.
260. How do you understand the meaning of the proverb? The word is silver and silence is gold? Is this statement true, in your opinion?
