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The Pragmatic function of intonation.
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The important aspect of communication is influences the ideas, behavior and perception of the listener. The use of language means with the special purpose to influence people is studied by pragmatics.
Pragmatics has a special focus on the choice of language and secondly on producing SOMETHING of influence.
The pragmatic function of intonation consists in the use of intonation with a specific purpose. Intonation serves to actualize the speaker’s pragmatic aim.
The choice of nuclear tones is attributed to the pragmatic function. A statement can be used as a request.
You’re coming?
Come and help me?
The pragmatic function is realized when either the intellect or the emotions of the listener are effected. Intonation is capable o expressing a wide range of attitudinal and emotion meanings. Each nuclear tone and intonation pattern are linked with some particular attitudinal coloring:
The car is very expensive. (emotional, involved)
The car is very expensive. (indifferent, dispassionate)
Emphatic pauses are used to express emotions. Variations in pitch, loudness and tempo serve to make the utterance more expressive and they realize the pragmatic function.
Pragmatic function can be traced in all kinds of communication but admittedly it’s especially relevant in declamatory style and public speaking. Sometimes the function is called rhetorical.
Besides conveying information the intonation is used to effect (impress) the listener and thus it performs the pragmatic function. It’s obvious that not only what you say but how you say makes the communication effective.
The Social function of intonation
Intonation is an important indication of the social status of the individual, his/her social identity, social role. It’s the indication of age, gender, higher rank, dominance.
According to D.Crystal there are some professions that are highly verbal: layers, preaches, teachers… They have distinctive prosody.
There is also the phonostylistic function.
Summing it all up:
all the particular functions are the realization of the main Communicative function.
Today in phonetic research scholars and learners of English don’t look at intonation in isolation. They also consider the (linguistic and extralinguistic) context. We take into consideration the immediate context and the situation of context. We don’t limit ourselves to stating the phonetic facts, we try to analyze and explain them.
Problems of phonostylistics
The primary concern of linguistics is the study of language in use. It’s particularly relevant for phonetic studies. We’re interested in how the phonetic units are used in various social situation. It’s the extra linguistic situation that influences our choice of language means.
There’s a special branch of linguistics that studies the way language means function in different situation. It’s called functional stylistics. It’s primary concern is functional style – a set of language means used in a particular situation.
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Phonostylistics is the study of the way phonetic units, both segmental (sounds) and suprasegmental (intonation), are used in a particular extralinguistic situation.
Extralinguistic situation consists of 3 components:
1) the purpose;
It’s the most important factor that guides the communication. The purpose is what you want to achieve (to get/give information, to instruct, to entertain, to chat). The aim is very important as far as pronunciation is concerned.
The subject matters less important but it stil matters.
This factor can bring numerous variations in pronunciation which are determined both by individual characteristics of the speaker and the character of their relationship.
We must consider individual and socio-cultural features: the social status, social group or class the speaker belongs to.
2) participants
Another important aspect is the character of participant relationship which is reflected in the tenor (тональность) of discourse: formal/ informal, friendly/ unfriendly, SOMETHING
and it effects greatly the choice of linguistic means.
The social roles of the speaker are also important. We have authority subordination relationship (teacher – pupil)
3) scene/ setting
This component has several factors:
- physical orientations of the participants (the distance between people, proximics studies it)
Setting can be also described in the following terms: public/ non-public, formal/ informal, monoloquing/ poliloguing, dialoguing.
It also includes the cannel of communication: face to face, public presentation, telephone, mass media. (аксиальное – радиальное)
All the components of extralinguistic situation influence the choice of linguistic means.
The factors (p.25)
The Classification of Phonetic Styles:
1. Gaiduchic (correlates with functional styles of language)
1) solemn (торжественный)
2) scientific business (научно-деловой)
3) official business (официально-деловой)
4) everyday (бытовой)
5) familiar (непринуждённый)
2. Dubovsky (degrees of formality)
1) informal ordinary
2) formal neutral
3) formal official
4) informal familiar
5) declamatory
3. Ours (the purpose of communication)
1) informational
2) academic
3) publicistic
4) declamatory
5) conversational
Intonational Styles
The factors that determine the phonostylistic varieties of intonation in spoken discourse.
Extralinguistic situations
purpose participants setting
the aim of communication (the style-forming factor)
Style-modifying factors:
- speaker’s attitude
- the form of communication
- the degree of formality
- the degree of spontaneity
The factors are interdependent and interconnected.
The aim of communication is the main strategy of the speaker. We may want: to inform, to instruct, to convince, to entertain, to advertise.
In each case we choose intonation which will serve our purpose and make our speech effective.
It basically determines the choice of intonation means, thus it forms the style (style-forming).
Speaker’s attitude
Any oral communication reflects a variety of attitudes and emotions, concerning the listener, the subject matter and etc.
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Intonation varieties are as numerous as varieties of attitudes and emotions are. The speaker can be involved/ indifferent, friendly/ hostile and so on.
It’s both emotions and attitudes we should take into consideration.
The form of communication
- monologuing
- dialoguing
Monologuing is speaking of 1 individual, dialoguing presupposes the participance of the speaker.
Monologues are usually more extended and characterized by a greater SOMETHING
and grammatical cohesion (связанность). They are better organized.
Polyloquing can be singled out.
The Degree of formality.
Discourse
formal informal
It reflects social roles and relations of the participants.
In a formal situation the speaker tends to make his speech more distinct and precise while in informal situation speech is more careless and rapid.
Rapid colloquial speech (assimilations, reductions…)
The Degree of Spontaneity
The types of speech
prepared half-prepared spontaneous
Spontaneous speech takes place when verbal formation is simultaneous to the formation of the idea in the speaker’s mind.
Half-prepared speech -
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