C) nuclear tone

The term is used to refer to a marked change of pitchmovement which occurs on the most prominent syllable in the intonation group. There are six main nuclear tones in English: falling, rising, falling-rising, rising-falling, rising-falling-rising and level.

Each nuclear tone is represented in speech by its allotones, for instance, the falling tone is presented by its high falling and low falling allotones, the tonal pitch being the principle of such a classification; the range differences allow to distinguish high wide and high narrow falling tone. According to the type of descending curve the falling tone can be convex and concave. The rate of the falling tone movement enables to class the falling tone into abrupt (when the rate of the tone movement is high) and smooth (when the rate of the tone movement is slow), etc.

Each nuclear tone has a definite sphere of use performing in speech a certain communicative task:

The falling tone is used to state facts (positive or negative) and to make utterances sound categoric and final;

The rising tone, being represented in speech by its high rising and low rising allotones, is used (1) to make the utterance sound non-final and non - categoric, as well as (2) to ask for information.

The falling-rising tone, which expresses more information than the verbal context (both divided and undivided allotones), is used to convey implication.

The rising-falling tone is used to convey cordiality or mockery.

The rising-falling-rising tone manifests itself in a very emotional speech as a means of intensification, or highlighting the utterance meaning, as well as a to indicate the speaker’s emotional state.

low level

d) tail, descending, the syllables (or one syllable) that follow the nucleus.

ascending.

5. Different systems of graphical notation of intonation. The notation systems prosodic phenomena are very important fot both language teaching and research work. There is a great variety of graphical representations of intonation in printed text, the most frequently used of them are:

a) a musical notation (J.Fonagy, K.Magdics)

b) an interlinear staves with dots, dashes and arrows (L.Armctrong, I.Ward)

c) the head and nucleus system or a notation within the line of the text (H.Palmer)

d) the tonetic stress-mark system (R.Kingdon)

e) the pitch levels notation (K.Pike)

f) D.Crystal’s notation system indicating various degrees of pitch variation, pitch range, pause, loudness, speed, rhythmicality and tension

g) a prosodic transcription (Moscow State University)

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