Intonation let’s consider the following example first

Tone and tone languages

• Tone is marked before the syllable:
• level _yes
• falling yes
• rising yes
• In this way we can also mark the high tone level and low tone level
• This is not always the case for all languages i.e Chinese, where the tone can determine the meaning of the word in question _ma ma ma
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2bHdXcszJ4

Speech may be divided into tone units (Tonality). Each tone unit is composed of:

• A tonic syllable (obligatory): the syllable that carries the tone. those
• The part of a tone unit that extends from the first stressed syllable up to (but not including) the tonic syllable is called the head: give me those
• Bill called to give me those
• If there is no stressed syllable before the tonic syllable there cannot be a head: in an hour (pre-head)

• The pre-head is composed of all the unstressed syllables in a tone unit preceeding the first stressed syllable. They are found in two main environments:
• When there is no head (i.e. no stressed syllable preceding the tonic syllable): in an hour
• When there is a head, as in the following example: in a little less than an hour
• pre-head head tonic syllable

• Any syllables between the tonic syllable and the end of the tone unit are called the tail:
• look at it what did you say
• both of them were here
• When it is necessary to mark a stress in a tail we use a dot (•):
• what did you • say both of them were •here

In synthesis:

• (pre-head) (head) tonic syllable (tail)
• OR
• (PH) (H) TS (T)

Tonicity: locating the syllables on which major movements of pitch occur (tonic syllables)

• A tonic syllable is:
• The most prominent syllable
• The anchor point for tone
• Not necessarily highest pitch