Sunteți pe pagina 1din 11

1.

7 SPEECH ACTS

COURSE:
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT I

LECTURER:
MS KEE LI LI
INTRODUCTION

1. Paralanguage is a component of meta-communication


that may modify or nuance meaning, or convey emotion.
2. Examples of paralanguage:
. prosody,
. pitch,
. volume,
. intonation
PROSODY

1. Is the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech


2. Prosody may reflect various features of the speaker or the
utterance:
. the emotional state of the speaker;
. the form of the utterance (statement, question, or
command);
. the presence of irony or sarcasm;
. emphasis, contrast, and focus;
. or other elements of language that may not be encoded by
grammar or by choice of vocabulary
EXAMPLES OF PROSODY

1. Prosody is used to convey emotions such as:

. excitement is expressed by high pitch and fast speed,


. sadness is expressed by low pitch and slow speed.
. hot anger is characterised by over-articulation, fast,
downward pitch movement, and overall elevated pitch.
. cold anger shares many attributes with hot anger, but
the pitch range is set lower.
PITCH

1. Is a perceptual property that allows the ordering of


sounds on a frequency-related scale
EXAMPLES OF PITCH

1. If someone is reciting a list of items, we know whether the


list is complete or not by the pitch of the voice.
2. If the pitch is rising, there are more items to come.
3. If the pitch is falling, there is nothing further to come.
4. The difference is suggested in writing by the use of a
series of dots instead of a full stop.
. I bought beer, whiskey, gin . . .
. I bought beer, whiskey, gin.

Rediscover Grammar, 3rd ed. Pearson Longman 2003)


VOLUME

1. Is quantity or power of sound; degree of loudness.


EXAMPLES OF VOLUME

Depending on how you vary the vocal elements, you can give this sentence
any of several meanings. Begin by saying the sentence aloud, emphasising
the first word with added volume. Continue repeating the sentence, each
time emphasising a different word:

"I didn't tell her you were stupid." (Somebody else told her.)
"I didn't tell her you were stupid." (I emphatically did not.)
"I didn't tell her you were stupid." (I implied it.)
"I didn't tell her you were stupid." (I told someone else.)
"I didn't tell her you were stupid." (I told her someone else was stupid.)
"I didn't tell her you were stupid." (I told her you're still stupid.)
"I didn't tell her you were stupid." (I told her something else about you.)

Identical words. Different meanings. That's the power of voice.

http://totalcommunicator.com/vol2_3/voicemessage.html
INTONATION

1. Is variation of spoken pitch that is not used to distinguish


words; instead it is used for a range of functions such as:
. indicating the attitudes and emotions of the speaker,
. signalling the difference between statements and
questions, and between different types of question,
. focusing attention on important elements of the
spoken message and
. helping to regulate conversational interaction.
EXAMPLES OF INTONATION

Fall in WH-question (= questions starting with a question


word):

What did he do?


Who's over there?
Where did Brandon go?

Rise in Yes/No questions:


Is that your mother?
Would you like some tea?
Does your friend smoke?
TASK

1. Work in groups of four or five.


2. By referring to the examples given in notes, provide 2
relevant examples for each of the types of paralanguage.
Do some research on the topic to enhance your
understanding.
3. Present your findings in class.

S-ar putea să vă placă și