PRENUCLEAR AND NUCLEAR TONE

MEANING

FINER DISTINCTIONS OF TONE

5.8

COMBINATION OF PRENUCLEAR PATTERN

• TONE MEANING = NUCLEAR TONE + a particular combination of PRENUCLEAR pattern and TONE

• HEADS before a FALL and a LOW RISE• DEFAULT head before a fall is the HIGH HEAD• USING a LOW RISING HEAD adds a special tone meaning = PROTEST

• We’ve /waiting for \hours.• You /shouldn’t keep on com\plaining like that.• What on /earth does she thinks she’s \doing?

'Where are you \essays?We 'handed them in `yesterday. (EMOTIONAL

INVOLVEMENT)

We 'handed them in \yesterday. (FACTUAL & UNEMOTIONAL)

We /handed them in `yesterday. (PROTESTS)

We /handed them in \yesterday. (PROTEST – EMPHATIC)COMPARE

(COMBINATION OF) PRENUCLEAR PATTERNThe HEAD with a LEADING DEPENDENT LOW RISE may be high or low, al least in British English:

♦ I 'opened the /door | and 'looked \in. or

♦ I ͅopened the /door | and 'looked \in.♦ In 'central /London | there’s a con\gestion charge. or

♦ In ͅcentral /London | there’s a con\gestion charge

With a TRAILING DEPENDENT RISE, the prenuclear pattern is always low: ♦ You can 'do what you \like, | as ͅfar as /I’m

concerned.

With an INDEPENDENT RISE, the choice of prenuclear pattern may affect the tone meaning. In statement or command, a high head or prehead with a low rise creates SOOTHING and REASSURING effect, SOUND PATRONINZING:

♦ Now 'don’t /worry. | I’m 'not going to /hurt you. ♦ 'Could I make a sug/gestion?

A LOW LEVEL HEAD before a rise, sound DEFENSIVE, GRUDGING & NON-SUPPORTIVE:

♦ The \top's fallen off. ♦ I ͅͅdon’t suppose it /matters.

♦ Her per'formance was /\dire! ♦ Oh it ͅwasn’t as bad as /that.

With YES-NO QUESTIONS, a HIGH HEAD plus a LOW RISE = FORMAL (BrE) a LOW PRENUCLEAR PATTERN plus HIGH RISE suggest INFORMATILITY

♦ D’you 'come here ̷often? (only Bre, can sound formal)

♦ D’you ͅcome here /often? (Casual)

A WIDE RISE may have either a LOW or (BrE) a HIGH PRENUCLEAR pattern: ♦ D’you 'come here ¦often? (surprised)

♦ D’you ͅcome here ¦often? (surprised, only in BrE)

Before a HIGH FALL-RISE, the usual HEAD is a HIGH (i.e LEVEL) head.The HEAD pattern is thus the same for the HIGH RISE, just as the TONE MEANING is similar to that of the HIGH RISE

You 'think he’s doing ˅what?'No one is blaming ˅you.That’s 'not what i’ve ˅said. (indignant)

'Don’t start till they’re ˅ready. (warning)