Intonation of imperatives

Disjunctive (Tag) Questions

The typical intonation patterns of these questions are combined tunes of the following two types:

a) Fall (High / Mid/ Low) + Rise (Low, Mid, Mid-High)

You like this dress, | don't you?

'Jane's "new 'coat is brown, | 'isn't it?

b) Fall (High / Mid / Low) + Fall (High / Mid / Low)

It's 'rather a 'long way, | isn't it?

The intonation pattern of the first type shows that the speaker is not sure of the answer he will get or of the listener's opinion (Uncertainty Disjunctive questions):

Mother: You've been going 'hungry all day, | 'haven't you? Daughter: No, I haven't. | We 'went 'out to a snack bar with Pauline.

The intonation pattern of the second type shows that the speaker is sure of the answer he will get or expects the listener to agree with him (Certainty Disjunctive questions):

Passenger: I must 'get off at the 'next stop, |mustn't I? Conductor: That's right. And 'then go 'straight up the street.

Disjunctive questions of this type are used by the speaker rather to keep the conversation going than to get new information.

It's 'nasty weather today, | isn't it?

Awful, isn’t it.

Imperative sentences are used in speech for different communi­cative purposes, the most typical of which are to express a command or an instruction, to ask for a favour or to give a warning. Accordingly, we can talk about different communicative subtypes of imperatives: commands and instructions, requests and warnings. They are distingished in speech primarily by intonation.

Commands and instructions are usually pronounced with a Falling nuclear tone. In an Instruction it is typically a Mid Fall with the preceding high or stepping head:

'Open the 'books at 'page nine. In Commands the Falling nuclear tone is more frequently of a high variety which gives an energetic and insistent note to the utterance:

'Leave the 'room at once. Commands with a Low Falling nuclear tone preceded by a high or stepping head produce a calm, serious and categoric effect:

Wait for the others. Actually, Requests can also be pronounced with a Falling tone, but in this case the word "please" which is placed either at the beginning or at the end of an imperative shows that the speaker's intention is to ask and not to order:

'Stay a little longer, please. More typically, Requests are pronounced with a L о w Rising nuclear tone preceded by a high prenuclear pitch (a high prehead; a high, a stepping or a sliding head) or with a Falling-Rising nuclear tone; Requests with these intonation patterns sound sincere and friendly:

'Try 'not to be late. 'Get me a 'pair of scissors. 'Wrap this 'vase /carefully.

When a Fall-Rise is used, especially of a divided variant, there is an impression that the speaker is asking a greater favour and such Requests are often called polite.

Warnings have the same intonation pattern as polite Requests: they are normally pronounced with a Falling-Rising nuclear tone. The exact nature of the imperative — a warning or a request — is nearly always clear from the situation and the speaker's voice colouring.

When a Warning contains only one stressable word, Fall-Rise Undivided is used. When there are more than one stressable words, Fall-Rise Divided is preferable:

Be careful.

Watch your

Imperatives of all kinds can be pronounced with a Low Rising nuclear tone preceded by a low prenuclear pitch: (a low head or/and a low prehead). Such imperatives sound casual (in the case of a request) or unimportant (in the case of a command):

Get another /chair.

Steady /on.

Switch on the /light.

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