Expressive means of English intonation Prosodic devices that are used in English to produce expressive effects comprise various
modifications of pitch, stress and duration features. These can be broadly divided into 2 types:
quantitative and qualitative. The first type implies emphasis proper, i.e. reinforcement of the
features constituting a prosodic unit. The most convenient way of analysing and describing such
modifications is through the notion of emphatic stress and tones. The term qualitative modifications
can be applied to prosodic units, tones and head-patterns, with an inherent emotional colouring,
such as the ascending, scandent, sliding, and broken head-types or the rising-falling tone.
F Formal style The formal style covers those varieties of English that we hear from a lecturer, a public speaker, a
radio announcer, etc. These types of communication are frequently reduced to monologue,
addressed by one person to many, and are often prepared in advance. They also include official and
business talks.
H Head The portion of the tune extending from the first stressed syllable up to, but not including, the
nuclear syllable is referred to as the head. The head plays an important part in conveying the
speaker’s attitude and feelings towards the listener, the subject-matter and the situation. In other
words, it is relevant for expressing the modal-attitudinal meaning and emotional colouring.
High Irregular Prehead In the High Irregular Prehead (sometimes called High Prehead) all the syllables are said on a
very high pitch, i.e. higher even than the onset syllable, which is normally the highest syllable in an
intonation-group. In a printed text the High Prehead is indicated by a high pitch-mark (
–
m).
