PHONOLOGY

SUPRASEGMENTALS PHONEME

        Suprasegmental Phoneme

Suprasegmental phoneme is a phoneme which can’t be segmented or separated because it may change the meaning. It equips the segmental phonemes.

So suprasegmental phoneme is phonemes or features of speech, as pitch, stress, and juncture that may extend over and modify series of segmental phonemes.

The example of suprasegmental phoneme

1.      Pitch

2.      Stress

3.      Juncture

4.      Intonation

      A.      Pitch

Based on the aspect of articulation, pitch is influenced by the tension of the vocal cord. If the vocal cords are stretched the pitch of the sound will go up.

Pitch refers to the normal melodic height of an individual’s speech. It is like a degree of highness or lowness of one’s speech.

      B.      Stress

       Stress is the emphasis placed on the sound or syllable spoken most forcefully in a word or phrase.

A stressed syllable in a word is generally spoken with more articulatory force, resulting in a syllable that is louder, longer in duration, and higher in pitch than an unstressed syllable.

  v  A major characteristic of English language is the use of strong and weak stress. Every word of more than one syllable has a syllable that is emphasized more than the others. Accented syllable receive more force and are louder than unstressed ones. Correct stress is essential for achieving proper pronunciation of word.

  v  Many languages have specific rules for accenting words. When there is an exception to the rule, an accent mark is generally written above the stressed syllable. There are no consistent rules in English. Consequently, you may have difficulty when attempting to accent syllables correctly. If you place stress on the wrong syllable, it makes different meaning. Example dѐsert(dry barren region) will sound like dessѐrt( sweet food)

  v  Distinctions occur between verbs and nouns e.g. ‘insult and in’sult – ‘rebel and re’bel. In such cases the noun is always stressed on the first syllable while the verb is stressed on the second syllable.

Some examples:

Nouns                                                 Verbs

Cónflict                                               conflὶct

Cónduct                                              condừct                                 

Cóntent                                               contѐnt

Dѐsert                                                 desѐrt

Dὶgest                                                 digѐst

  v   Similarly, the stress may distinguish between an adjective and a verb e.g. ‘abstract and ab’stract.

  Ø  Sentence stress in English

Sentence stress also plays an important role in distinguishing the type of information being presented by a speaker.The words that provide new information to the listener would typically be stressed.

  Ø  Words generally stressed in sentence

Content words are the important words in a sentence that convey meaning. We normally stress content words when speaking. Content words include all the major parts of speech such as noun, verb, adjective, adverbs, and question words.

  Ø  Words generally unstressed in sentences

Function words are unimportant words in a sentence. They do not carry as much meaning as content words. We normally do not stress function words when speaking. Function words include the following parts of speech such as article, preposition, conjunction, auxiliary verb.

LEVEL OF STRESS

1. Primary stress: The characteristic of stressed syllable that results from pitch movement or tone and gives the strongest type of stress. Ex: around

2. Secondary stress: It is weaker than primary stress but stronger than unstressed syllable. Ex: photographic

3. Unstressed : The weakest characteristic of stressed syllable. Ex: poetic

C. INTONATION

Intonation is the sound pattern of phrases and sentences produced by pitch variation in the voice

•      Rising Intonation means the pitch of the voice increases over time [↗];

•      Falling Intonation means that the pitch decreases with time [↘];

•      Dipping Intonation falls and then rises [↘↗];

•      Peaking Intonation rises and then falls [↗↘].

Each of these may express

particular attitudes

Falling Intonation: neutral statement

Dipping Intonation: neutral question, doubt

Rising Intonation: surprise, skepticism

Peaking Intonation: emphatic statement

Level (flat): boredom, disinterest

Types of intonation contours: Falling

Falling intonation contours are indicative of the finality of an utterance.

The boys went home. (unemotional statement)

The boys went home. (declarative statement)

Types of intonation contours: Rising

Rising intonation contours usually indicate some uncertainty on the speaker’s part.

 Rising intonation contours are typical of yes-no questions, incomplete thoughts.

EXAMPLE:

1. Are you coming?

2. When I got work, I became ill.

Rising intonation contours are also common when reciting a list of items.

EXAMPLE:

1. My favorite colors are red, blue, and green.

2. Richie, Darren, and Williams came along.

FUNCTION OF INTONATION

ATTITUDIDAL FUNCTION : Expresses our feeling, attitudes, emotions .

ACCENTUAL FUNCTIONS : Intonation has accentual function, it implies that the placement of stress is somewhat determined by intonation.

GRAMMATICAL FUNCTIONS : The listener is better able to recognize the grammar and syntax structure of what is being said by using the information contained in the intonation.

THE DISCOURSE FUNCTIONS OF INTONATION : Intonation can indicate when the speaker is indicating some sort of contrast or link with material in another tone unit and kind of response is being expected from him.

      D.     JUNCTURE

Juncture is a joining or a joint. It’s also a point or line at which two bodies are joined. It used to refer to the manner of transition from one vowel or consonant to another. In connected speech it is necessary to distinguish within one macrosegment such phonems whose function is to keep utterances apart. We must, for example, convey to the listener whether we mean a part (a+part) or apart when we use these segments, however rapid our speech may be. The accent feature of course plays a significant part in it; but we must also give a brief pause that would separate a  from part when we wish to say a part, and remove that pause when we wish to say apart. As Hockett says, ‘Any difference of sound which functions to keep utterances apart is by definition part of the phonological system of the language’. Such transition from one segmental phoneme to another is called juncture and represented by [+] mark. Juncture is thus a type ‘ofboundary between two phonemes. Often, juncture helps the listener to distinguish between pairs such as see Mill and seem ill in Did he see Mill? And Did he seem ill?’ (Richards, Platt, Weber). Terminal juncture is represented by the [+] sign as in the following examples.

a                + name

an              + aim

that            + stuff

that’s          + tough

Ice              + cream

I                 + scream

Two vowels in close proximity both bearing the primary stress must receive a terminal juncture.

Categories: ENGLISH