Unit 13 Lesson Plan (With Notes for Teachers) Types of Intonation in English Date: Dec., 9-13 Class: Classes 1, 2 & 3, Grade 2002 Subject: English Pronunciation for Communication Purpose: The students will learn types of intonation in English. Objectives: Students will be able to: Define - in their own words a definition for intonation. Compare – based on the understanding of the basic concept, compare different types of intonation in speech; Practice – imitate the stress patterns and intonation and do practice. Resources/Materials: Textbook: Wang, Guizhen, An English Pronunciation Course, Higher Education Press, Beijing, 2000; Handouts: illustration of stress patterns and rhythmic pattern; Recordings of native speakers Activities and Procedures: Stimulating: Begin by asking the class to find out how much the students know about what they are required to learn. Make sure that it serves the purpose of stimulating the students to think about the issue and have the desire to find out the answers themselves. Display examples by playing the recording of the native speakers showing the typical pronunciation in English. Ask the students to listen to the tapes to make a good discrimination of rhythmic patterns in connected speech. Have the students imitate the speech rhythm in utterances. Have the students share what they have learned by reading out the practice materials in pairs. Have the students listen to the conversations recorded by native speakers of English and try to get the rhythm correct in their pronunciation. Have the students practice the guided conversation. Ask them to pay special attention to the stress in speech. Highlight the language function in the conversation in the practice. Have several pairs of the students present their conversation in the class. Comment on the students’ performance by highlighting the achievement of the students and the efforts they need for the improvement. Ask the students to do more practice after class and get ready for presentation during the next session. Notes for Teachers Types of Intonation in English In this unit, we will learn types of intonation in English. We call the melody of language intonation. Intonation refers to the total pattern of pitch changes, i.e., the rising and falling of the voice when a person is speaking, within an utterance. Intonation is another important element of spoken English. It is the English intonation which makes English sound really English. Intonation makes speech meaningful. English intonation adds the meaning of an utterance in two ways: It shows the relationship of words within and between sentences; It tells something about the feeling of the speaker. In other words, different pitches may indicate different meanings for the same utterance. Different pitches help us express our feelings: happiness, sadness, surprise, annoyance, anger, and so on. In listening to the meaning of an utterance, therefore, we listen to how speakers talk as well as to what they say. The HOW and WHAT together give us the meaning of an English utterance. We now see the importance to use the appropriate intonation patterns when we speak. Otherwise, we may be sending messages using intonations that contradict what we want words to say. Intonation patterns that disagree with the content of the utterance may indicate doubt, sarcasm, or confusion. Basic intonation patterns English has two basic intonation patterns: rising and falling. When they go together, they can make a falling-rising tone. Look at the following Example: a) -- Is (John in? -- No, John's (not in. b) -- Is (John in? -- No, (John's (not in. "Is John is?" has rising intonation. The pitch of the voice goes up at the end of the utterance. The speaker is asking a question. "No, John's not in" in a) has falling intonation. The pitch of the voice goes down at the end of the utterance. The speaker is answering a question. "No, John's not in" in b) has falling-rising intonation. The pitch of the voice goes down first and then goes up at the end of the utterance. The speaker is answering a question with implication, such as: John's not in, but his wife/sister/brother is. Types of intonation patterns we have to learn English can very well be spoken correctly and naturally with the three intonation patterns: falling, rising and falling-rising. 英语语调的种类 本单元介绍的是英语语调的种类。 话语中声调高低的变化就叫语调。英语语调特有的表现形式是我们学习英语语音的重要组成部分。语调可以使话语的含义完整和明确。英语语调的作用主要表现在：一、表示句中单词和句子之间的语法关系，二、表示说话人的态度以及他想表达的隐含意思。换句话说，同样一句话用不同的语调说出来, 表达的可能是完全不同的含义，语调可以帮助我们表达喜悦、忧伤、惊奇、懊恼、愤怒等不同的情感。因此，我们在听人说话的时候，听的不仅仅是说话的内容，还包括说话的方式，即语调和语气。内容(“他说了什么”)和表达方式（“他是怎么说的”）加在一起才能形成话语的完整含义。语调所表达的种种含义和态度，如不了解，一方面，不能听出说话人话里隐含的意思以及说话人的态度，另一方面，自己用错语调，可能使对方产生误会，而自己还莫名其妙。 本教程介绍的语调，是按照英国英语的系统阐述的。英语存在几种变异,如美国英语、澳大利亚英语，等等，语音系统、语调系统各有差异，但并不影响互相间通过语言进行交际和相互了解。 尽管在连贯讲话里，语调听起来变化多端, 但将话语切分成语调单位，不外乎降调和升调。可以说降调和升调是英语的基本语调。将降升调的作用联合在一起，就成了降升调。 英语的降调：降调是英语最常见的音调变化。降调表示确定和完整，即说话人认为这句话已经完满了。降调主要用在：陈述句、特殊疑问句、表示命令的祈使句、感叹句等句子。 英语的升调：升调是英语的另一个常用调。升调表示不确定、不完整，通常用在要求对方用yes或no回答的句子。同时，升调还表示我们的话还没有说完，或者还有待于再研究，并非结论。例如，我们正在数数，还没数完之前用升调；句子还没说完是用升调；要征求别人的意见时也常用升调。另外，由于升调没有那种断然下结论的口气，因而可以使祈使句变得委婉一些。较长的陈述句中句子的前一部分、表示请求或劝说的祈使句等也通常用升调。 英语的降升调。降升调也是英语的常用语调之一。降升调就是把降调与升调的作用联合在一起，用来表示对某件事肯定了，有把握了，同时有附加一些保留、让步或暗含的对比。说白了，就是“话里有话”,或通过语调表示“言外之意”。 可见，降升调的使用比较复杂。由于降升调可用来表示对比、言外之意、相反的意见甚至警告等等，常用于以下情况：含有对比的陈述句、含保留意见的陈述句、含警告口吻的祈使句等。 英语的语调当然不止三种，但作为外语学生, 掌握了以上三种语调就基本上能表达我们所需要说明的信息了。