Intonation Patterns Research Articles

The effect of visual displays on the mastery of the forms and functions of English intonation by Chinese L2 students

This study examines the effectiveness of visual displays in improving the mastery of the forms and functions of English intonation among Chinese L2 students. Over a four-week period, two groups of learners (visual-training and auditory-training) took part in five sessions of intonation training, while a control group received no training. Each session began with a 25-minute lesson on the forms and functions of intonation, followed by a 40-minute practice session. All sentences were presented in communicative contexts. With the aid of speech visualization technology, the visual-training group was taught linguistic categories and English intonation structures, and was encouraged to imitate and practice intonation patterns using visual displays of the intonation of each sentence. The auditory-training group learned and practiced intonation by carefully listening to audio clips of each sentence. Intonation production was assessed using speech data from pre- and post-tests. Results showed that the visual-training group outperformed the other two groups, making the greatest progress in mastering the forms of English intonation (pitch accents and boundary tones) and its functions (expressing prominence and marking modality).

An Analysis of the Pragmatic Function of English Intonation Based on Speech Act Theory: Taking the Intonation of the Oracle in The Matrix as an Example

Intonation still finds itself one of the most difficult problems for many EFL learners. However, there are few pieces of literature that have explored the relationship between these two elements: illocutionary acts and intonation patterns. Therefore, this study attempts to do so, taking the intonation used in the character Oracle’s lines in the film The Matrix as an experimental database, and then summarizing and categorizing the intentions based on John Searle’s taxonomy of illocutionary acts. After analyzing 265 lines, four candidates were invited to label their own understanding of the illocutionary act of the character by perceiving the characters’ intonation. The chi-square results which show the similarity of their shared understanding turned out to be diverse, from which we concluded several kinds of causes with qualitative analysis: 1) different educational backgrounds; 2) the effectiveness of teaching intonation in China is not up to standard; 3) insufficient understanding of the movie context. Our research studies intonation from a different scope than the traditional top-down model, to provide a theoretical supplement to the intonation function research to some extent, and at the same time to provide English learners with some theoretical help for intonation learning and promote the improvement of their speaking.

Comparative Analysis of Azerbaijani and English Phonetic Systems

This article provides a comparative analysis of the Azerbaijani and English phonetic systems, focusing on key differences and similarities between the two languages. The study examines the vowel and consonant systems, as well as intonation and stress patterns, to highlight the challenges faced by Azerbaijani speakers learning English and English speakers learning Azerbaijani. Through phonetic data collection and analysis, common pronunciation errors and their impact on language acquisition are identified. The findings offer insights into how these phonetic differences influence second language learning and propose strategies for mitigating phonetic interference through targeted teaching methods and pronunciation exercises.

Causes and effects of misreported syllable structures

Abstract This commentary paper offers a discussion on the methodological, epistemological, and theoretical issues concerning the status of the syllable and mora, as well as the problems raised by their (mis)characterization. It first addresses some methodological biases that occur in the description and analysis of the phonological units of languages, the problem of the reliability of speaker intuitions, with an example taken from French verlan, as well as the influence of writing on phonological representations. Second, building on the Budai Rukai example and on one other case of misanalyzed syllable structure, that of Tokyo Japanese, it questions the status of the syllable as an indispensable, universal unit. In order to avoid some of the problems that stem from the mischaracterization of the syllable, it is proposed that the notion of prosodeme, instead of that of syllable, should be used as a pretheoretical notion when attempting to identify the basic prosodic unit of a language.

Watch your tune! On the role of intonation for scalar diversity

Recent research has highlighted that lexical scales vary in their likelihood of giving rise to a scalar inference—a finding labeled scalar diversity. The current paper examines the role of intonation for this phenomenon, which has thus far primarily been studied using written materials. A specific focus in this regard was on the so-called rise-fall-rise contour, which has been argued to (i) convey uncertainty, which could have an influence on scalar inference calculation, and (ii) be sensitive to properties of lexical scales, which could interact with factors driving scalar diversity. Experiment 1 combined production with an inference task to assess the likelihood of different intonational contours, as well as how a given contour affects scalar inference rates. Production of the rise-fall-rise varied across lexical scales, as expected, and led to an increase in scalar inference derivation relative to a fall. The latter finding was further confirmed in Experiment 2, which explicitly manipulated intonational contours in the inference task. The results, thus, show the importance of taking intonation into account when studying scalar diversity and scalar inference more generally, and they also have implications for theories of the rise-fall-rise contour. Additionally, the experiments revealed a contour that is prosodically similar to the so-called Contradiction Contour, but appears to serve a different pragmatic function.

Could L1 intonation patterns be applied in teaching Mandarin tones to atonal learners of Chinese? – An acoustic phonetic study

Abstract This study focuses on the acoustic comparison of Mandarin Chinese lexical tones and Hungarian monosyllabic intonation patterns. The aim of this experiment was to explore whether atonal L1 intonation patterns are applicable in teaching tones in L2 Mandarin Chinese, and also to investigate to what extent atonal and tonal monosyllabic contours differ. Mandarin Chinese rising Tone 2 is compared to two corresponding Hungarian rising contours: i) monosyllabic interrogative contour and ii) the rising phase of the f 0 pattern in alternative questions. Mandarin Chinese falling Tone 4 is likewise compared to Hungarian i) declarative and ii) imperative f 0 curves. We compared Mandarin Chinese and Hungarian native speakers’ production regarding five acoustic features. Results show that Mandarin Chinese Tone 2 is articulated with longer duration, and a more concave f 0 curve compared to Hungarian rising intonation patterns. Mandarin Chinese Tone 4, on the other hand, was found to differ from the Hungarian imperative contour only in terms of the f 0 curve shape, since Tone 4 featured a more domed curve. Hungarian declaratives are characterized by a more concave f 0 pattern, realized in a lower f 0 range compared to Tone 4. The results of this study may contribute to the proper application of atonal intonation patterns in L2 teaching of Mandarin Chinese through the differences and similarities between atonal and tonal monosyllabic f 0 patterns.

The High Rising Terminal in the Intonation System of the Modern English Language

Introduction. The article examines changes taking place in the intonation systems of modern varieties of the English language by analysing the use of the High Rising Terminal (HRT). Received pronunciation (RP), which is recognised as standard pronunciation in the United Kingdom, Australian English accents and Northern Irish English accents (accents of Belfast) have been chosen as the subject for this study. Intonation contours containing the HRT are compared in order to reveal any similar features regarding their realisation and functions. The results of this comparative analysis will show to what extent other varieties of English may be attributed to the changes in the intonation system of the modern RP. The present study is unique in that the material for the comparative analysis of the functions of the HRT includes recordings of spontaneous speech of the speakers of modern English accents. This study is relevant due to the growing interest in the modern changes in the intonation systems of different modern English dialects. The results of the comparative analysis show whether these changes can be considered universal across different English dialects.Methodology and sources. The material for the present study includes audio samples of spontaneous speech represented by dialogues between native speakers of Standard British English, Australian English and Belfast English. The samples containing the HRT have been acoustically analysed. The lexical and communicative context of the samples have been evaluated in order to determine the functions of the phonetic contour.Results and discussion. One of the main findings of this study is a new function of the HRT in RP that has not been found in the classical descriptions of the accent. The acoustic analysis of the realisations of the HRT has also revealed a number of similar features between the modern accents of English analysed in this study.Conclusion. Many changes taking place in modern varieties of English have been caused by globalisation. Even though RP accent is considered to be the standard accent of British English, it is also subject to change.

Unfolding Prosody Guides the Development of Word Segmentation

Prosody is known to scaffold the learning of language, and thus understanding prosodic development is vital for language acquisition. The present study explored the unfolding prosody model of prosodic development (proposed in Frota’s et al. study in 2016) beyond early production data, to examine whether it predicted the development of early segmentation abilities. European Portuguese-learning infants aged between 5 and 17 months were tested in a series of word segmentation experiments. Developing prosodic structure was evidenced in word segmentation as proposed by the unfolding model: (i) a simple monosyllabic word shape crucially placed at a major prosodic edge was segmented first, before more complex word shapes under similar prosodic conditions; (ii) the segmentation of more complex words was easier at a major prosodic edge than in phrase-medial position; and (iii) the segmentation of complex words with an iambic pattern preceded the segmentation of words with a trochaic pattern. These findings demonstrated that word segmentation evolved with unfolding prosody, suggesting that the prosodic units developed in the unfolding process are used both as speech production planning units and to extract word-forms from continuous speech. Therefore, our study contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying word segmentation, and to a better understanding of early prosodic development, a cornerstone of language acquisition.

The effect of music therapy and breathing exercise on anxiety and pain in patients undergoing coronary angiography: A randomized controlled study.

For over 50 years, music therapy and breathing exercises have been widely utilized as interventions to help individuals cope with fatigue, stress and pain globally. To analyse the effects of music and breathing exercises on anxiety and pain in patients undergoing coronary angiography. This is a single-blind, randomized controlled trial. The sample comprised 165 patients: 55 in the control group, 55 in the breathing exercise group and 55 in the music therapy group. Patients in the music group listened to music during angiography, those in the breathing exercise group practised exercises 30 min before the procedure and the control group received standard treatment. Anxiety levels were assessed before and after the procedure, and pain levels were measured post-procedure. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist for reporting randomized trials was used to guide reporting. Anxiety scores rose significantly in the control group from 33.9 ± 4.2 pre-angiography to 37.7 ± 4.9 post-angiography. Conversely, the breathing group's anxiety scores decreased from 34.3 ± 3.5 before angiography to 31.7 ± 1.5 after angiography, and the music group exhibited a reduction from 32.3 ± 3.6 to 30.8 ± 1.6. Post-angiography, the control group reported a mean pain score of 64 ± 0.8 mm, while the breathing and music groups had significantly lower scores of 35 ± 0.6 and 29 ± 0.8 mm, respectively. Statistical analysis showed a highly significant difference in pain scores between the intervention and control groups. This study provides support for the beneficial effects of employing breathing exercises and music in alleviating pain and anxiety during coronary angiography procedures. Integrating these findings into clinical practice could be significant for improving patients' pain experiences and anxiety, enhancing the tolerance of invasive medical procedures.

The Impact of Native Language on English Pronunciation among TESL Undergraduates

In today's globalized world, being fluent in English, including speaking and pronunciation, is crucial, it is frequently a need for academic and professional success in addition to being a great asset. As an English Language teacher, clarity in pronunciation is the utmost importance. However, a lot of the TESL undergraduate students faced trouble in pronouncing English words properly. The influence of the first language (L1) is a profound reason of the inaccuracies in pronouncing English words among undergraduates. This research examines the relationship between the native language and English pronunciation among TESL. This study, conducted through interviews with seven participants, explores the impact of cultural factors, cognates, phonological, and intonation patterns on pronunciation. Thematic analysis reveals the nuanced influences of the participants' native languages on their English articulation. Additionally, the research investigates strategies for improving pronunciation, including individualized plans and peer learning. This research explored both positive and negative aspects of language transfer among participants from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The findings revealed nuanced insights into the impact of native languages on English pronunciation. The findings contributed valuable insights to the understanding of language transfer effects and offer practical recommendations for enhancing English language teaching and learning in TESL programs. Beyond educational implications, this study sheds light on linguistic diversity and has the potential to influence language policies in Malaysia.

Exploring the Challenges of L1 Negative Transfer among Vietnamese English Language Learners: A Qualitative Study

The current study aimed to gain insight into the nuanced challenges that Vietnamese learners encountered due to the interference of their native linguistic structures and norms. This qualitative study explored the experiences of Vietnamese learners in acquiring English, focusing on the influence of negative L1 transfer. This study focused on the influence of negative transfer from their first language (L1) by drawing upon in-depth interviews and observational data from a group of Vietnamese university students. The results showed that despite exhibiting high levels of motivation and enthusiasm for learning English, Vietnamese learners struggled with the shadows of L1 interference in areas such as pronunciation, syntax, and idiomatic expressions. The tonal nature of the Vietnamese language led to intonation patterns in English that deviated from native norms. Direct translations also contributed to unidiomatic English, indicating a deep influence of L1 thought patterns. Additionally, cultural contexts embedded within the Vietnamese language presented challenges, as some concepts and expressions lacked direct English equivalents. Although students faced various obstacles, they utilized a variety of adaptive techniques to lessen the impact of negative transfer. These techniques included code-switching, peer correction, and self-reflection. The study emphasized the significance of recognizing and comprehending the significant role of L1 when creating English language educational programs and teaching techniques for Vietnamese students. By illuminating the specific challenges and adaptive strategies of these learners, educators could personalize their approaches, leading to a more comprehensive and efficacious language-learning atmosphere.

Phrase prosody of a southern Russian dialect: Rogovatoe

This paper deals with the phrase intonation of the Southern Russian dialect spoken in the village of Rogovatoe, in the Starooskol’sky district of the Belgorod region. The study is devoted to the analysis of the prosodic structure of various communicative categories: statements, yes-no questions, wh-questions, non-finality, imperative, and vocative. Based on the examination of more than 7000 sentences, I argue that the dialect of Rogovatoe uses only two monotonal pitch accents — H* and L* — as opposed to three bitonal accents of Modern Standard Russian. I also postulate two final boundary tones — H% and L% — for this dialect, while no proof of a phonological distinction between the high and the low phrase accents was found. Finally, the idiom of Rogovatoe employs the phonological distinction between the high and the low initial boundary tone — %H and %L. Therefore, the prosodic system of this Southern Russian dialect is much more focused on the level tones than Modern Standard Russian utilizing predominantly contour (rising and falling) tones.

The Effect of Speaking Rate on Voice and Breathing Behavior

ObjectiveThe objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of fast speaking on pause duration, breath group duration, and fundamental frequency (FO) in rote speech (counting). Method28 healthy women (age 18-39) who had no experience of voice training, repeated a counting task in both a habitual and fast speaking rate. Pause duration, breath group duration and mean fundamental frequency was measured from audio recordings. Differences in the study variables between habitual and fast speaking rates were analyzed and tested for statistical significance. ResultsIn fast speaking rate, mean pause duration was shorter and mean breath group duration longer as compared with habitual speaking rate, both with statistical significance at the group level. Surprisingly, mean fundamental frequency was significantly lower in the fast-speaking rate condition. ConclusionThe results overall supported the hypothesis that pause duration becomes shorter and breath group duration longer with a fast-speaking rate. This may have clinical relevance for voice therapy and supports the importance of speaking rate for the understanding and treatment of some hyperfunctional voice disorders. Notably, however, our findings indicated that counting as a speech task induces a specific pattern which may not be comparable to other speech tasks, nor representative of spontaneous speech in every-day-life.

Developing Intonation Through Gestures in Early English Language Teaching

Existing research has proved the strong link between gestures and speech both in the first language (L1) and the second language (L2) acquisition. Despite the significant benefits of incorporating gestures into language instruction, there remains a gap in research concerning their impact on very young learners, especially in non-Western settings like Vietnam. The current study investigates the effects of using gestures to teach English intonation to very young learners. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design, and it recruited 49 participants aged 4 to 6 years at a language center. The two intact classes were randomly assigned as the control and experimental groups. The learners in the experimental group were taught intonation patterns of some English sentence types, such as YES/NO questions, WH questions, and statements through gestures, while traditional instructions without any gestures were applied in the control group. Two primary tools were utilized for data collection: intonation tests and observations. The findings demonstrated that learners who received gesture-based teaching significantly showed improvements in their intonation. Additionally, these learners showed more engagement and active participation in class. These results highlight the benefits of using gestures in teaching English intonation, especially in early English language teaching in Vietnam.

A Review of the Influence of Wu Dialect on English Pronunciation Acquisition

The Wu dialect is widely spoken in Wu-speaking regions of China, which covers a considerable number of English learners. However, the phonetic system of the Wu dialect differs significantly from that of English, which greatly affects the English learning process of Wu-speaking learners, thus attracting numerous researchers to conduct related studies. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of research on the influence of Wu dialect on English phonological learning over the past two decades and presents a selection of twenty-seven papers to explore the theoretical framework, the research methodology, and the specific impacts encountered by English language learners who speak Wu dialect. Among them, the theoretical discussion centered on language transfer theory, Fleges Speech Learning Model and Bests Perceptual Assimilation Model; the research methodology consisted of qualitative analysis and empirical study; and the focus was placed on positive and negative transfer effects, i.e., the challenges posed by the absence or presence of phonological differences in the Wu dialect to the learners of English. The findings reveal significant segmental and suprasegmental influences in English pronunciation acquisition, with segmental challenges including differentiation of consonants and incomplete articulation of vowels, and suprasegmental challenges including stress placement, intonation patterns, and phonological rhythm. In addition, the discussion highlights the need for more empirical studies to supplement qualitative analyses, the consideration of regional variations within Wu dialect, and the exploration of teaching strategies informed by research findings. Therefore, the paper advocates for future research focusing on regional differences, deeper exploration of suprasegmental influences, integration of research into teaching practices, and diversified research methods.

Acute Effects of Breath-Hold Conditions on Aerobic Fitness in Elite Rugby Players.

The effects of face immersion and concurrent exercise on the diving reflex evoked by breath-hold (BH) differ, yet little is known about the combined effects of different BH conditions on aerobic fitness in elite athletes. This study aimed to assess the acute effects of various BH conditions on 18 male elite rugby players (age: 23.5 ± 1.8 years; height: 183.3 ± 3.4 cm; body mass: 84.8 ± 8.5 kg) and identify the BH condition eliciting the greatest aerobic fitness activation. Participants underwent five warm-up conditions: baseline regular breathing, dynamic dry BH (DD), static dry BH (SD), wet dynamic BH (WD), and wet static BH (WS). Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in red blood cells (RBCs), red blood cell volume (RGB), and hematocrit (HCT) pre- and post-warm-up. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and relative oxygen uptake (VO2/kgpeak) varied significantly across conditions, with BH groups showing notably higher values than the regular breathing group (p < 0.05). Interaction effects of facial immersion and movement conditions were significant for VO2peak, VO2/kgpeak, and the cardiopulmonary optimal point (p < 0.05). Specifically, VO2peak and peak stroke volume (SVpeak) were significantly higher in the DD group compared to that in other conditions. Increases in VO2peak were strongly correlated with changes in RBCs and HCT induced by DD warm-up (r∆RBC = 0.84, r∆HCT = 0.77, p < 0.01). In conclusion, DD BH warm-up appears to optimize subsequent aerobic performance in elite athletes.

Injection Laryngoplasty of Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis Evaluated With Pause and Speech Measurements

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine a number of pause and speech measurements in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis, before and after injection laryngoplasty. The non-invasive measurements were selected to investigate and explain the treatment effect on connected speech in these patients. Study designRetrospective study with repeated measurements design. MethodVoice recordings of 24 patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis from before and after injection laryngoplasty in local anesthesia were analyzed retrospectively with the computer program Praat. Measurements examined were number of pauses, average pause duration, pause ratio (expressing the amount of pausing during a reading aloud task), number of breath groups, average duration of breath groups, articulation rate, speaking rate, maximum phonation time and voice handicap index. ResultsInjection laryngoplasty had a significant improving effect on the number of pauses, pause ratio, number of breath groups, average duration of breath groups, articulation rate, speaking rate, maximum phonation time and voice handicap index. Maximum phonation time before treatment correlated with several pause- and speech measurements. ConclusionThe results showed that treatment with injection laryngoplasty had a clear effect on several pause and speech measurements and that these measurements correlated with maximum phonation time, but not with voice handicap index.

Linguistic influences on comprehensibility and accentedness in second language Korean speech

AbstractA considerable body of research has investigated the influence of linguistic variables on comprehensibility and accentedness in L2 speech. However, studies on this topic have overwhelmingly focused on L2 English, with little known about other L2s. This study investigated linguistic influences on accentedness and comprehensibility in L2 Korean. Participants included 198 L2 Korean speakers of varying proficiency levels and L1 and 82 L1 Korean listeners from South Korea. The speakers completed a monologic speaking task and their speech samples were coded for phonological, lexical, grammatical, and fluency variables. Listener ratings indicated speakers were perceived as more comprehensible than they were nativelike, but the correlation between the two was extremely strong (r = 0.90). Regression models using linguistic variables to predict comprehensibility and accentedness yielded R2 values of 0.71 and 0.65, respectively. Most linguistic variables had similar influences on comprehensibility and accentedness, with some notable exceptions: intonational phrasing errors and lexical diversity predicted comprehensibility, but not accentedness.

Process of language Use and Development: Case Studies in 6 Years of Age

The aim of this research is to determine the process of first language acquisition and development in 6 year old children. The method used in this research is a qualitative analysis method. The technique used in processing data and obtaining data is through observation and interviews with parents and children directly (face to face). The results of the research show that children's language development goes through several patterns, namely crying, cooing, moaning, intonation patterns, one-word speech, two-word speech, data inflections, interrogative sentences, rare/complex constructions, and mature speech.Furthermore, there are several levels of children's language, namely pre-speech, first words when names appear, word combinations and grammar. Meanwhile, there are several ways for children to acquire language, namely through acquisition and teaching. There are four factors in language acquisition, namely biology, environment, intelligence, and motivation. Parental involvement and supervision also greatly influences the complex process of children's language development.

Request for confirmation sequences in British and American English

Abstract This article presents the quantitative findings from a comparative study of request for confirmation (RfC) sequences in British English (BE) and American English (AE). The study is part of a large-scale cross-linguistic research project on RfCs in ten languages. RfCs put forward a proposition about which the speaker claims some knowledge but for which they seek (dis)confirmation from an informed co-participant. The article examines linguistic resources for building RfCs and their responses in the two English varieties. RfCs are analyzed with regard to their syntactic design, polarity, modulation, inference marking, connectives, question tags, and the prosodic design of confirmables and potential question tags. Responses to RfCs are analyzed with regard to response type, the use, type and position of response tokens, (non-)minimal responses in turns with a response token, response prefacing, and repeat responses. BE and AE are found to resemble each other closely in most categories. A major exception is their prosodic design, however. Specifically, the preference for the final pitch pattern of RfCs differs markedly in the two varieties: BE shows a strong preference for final falling pitch; AE shows a preference for final rising pitch. This suggests that the two varieties have routinized distinct intonation patterns for expressing epistemic (un)certainty in RfCs.