VOA慢速英语2020--Intonation, Speaking and Grammar

 

Intonation¹ is like the music of a language.

Intonation means the changes that someone makes to the sound of their voice when speaking.

The up and down movements in the voice can show meaning or emotion. These movements can also take the place of punctuation², such as commas or question marks.

Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore the subject of intonation by using humor³. We will show you how one comedian⁴ used intonation in ways that can teach you about American English and grammar.

Rising intonation

The term rising intonation means the upward⁵ movement of the voice, often at the end of a sentence. In general, Americans use rising intonation in what we call "yes/no questions" -- questions that ask for either a "yes" or "no" answer. In some cases, these "yes/no questions" use auxiliary⁶ verbs, such as can or do, as in this example:

Do you know him?

One important point: in everyday or casual⁷ speech, Americans sometimes drop off – or leave out - the auxiliary verb do, as in:

D'you know him?

You know him?

Did you hear how the voice went up toward⁸ the end of the question?

That is rising intonation.

Let's listen to part of a performance by the American comedian Dave Chappelle. Note how he uses rising intonation at the end of his "yes/no questions." One quick note: Chappelle is mispronouncing the name of American actor Jussie Smollett on purpose. He refers to Smollett as "Juicy Somellier."*

"Don't ever forget what happened to that French actor

"You know who I'm talking about?

Jussie Smollett"

Note that Chappelle's voice rose after the second line – You know who I'm talking about? This is a "yes/no question" that left out the auxiliary verb do.

The first line, a statement, has the opposite kind of intonation: falling intonation.

"Don't ever forget what happened to that French actor"

Let's listen to more from Chappelle's performance:

Jussie Smollett - he's very French, a very famous French actor...

Y'all never heard of Jussie Smollett?

In this "yes/no question," Chappelle turns a statement into a question by changing the intonation of his voice. He also uses the informal structure y'all - which means "you all."

Here is Chappelle's question:

Y'all never heard of Jussie Smollett?

This is how Chappelle's words would sound if they were presented as a statement:

You have never heard of Jussie Smollett.

Questions that are not Yes/No questions

You might be asking yourself about other kinds of questions: for example, questions that are not "yes/no questions."

Such questions often have interrogatives – words such as what, why, when, or how.

Questions with interrogative words generally have falling intonation – the opposite of "yes/no questions."

So, for example, if a person asked about who Dave Chappelle was making fun of, their question might sound like this:

Who is Jussie Smollett?

Or they might ask:

What is Dave Chappelle talking about?

Closing thoughts

The main idea of this story is that intonation plays an important role in showing meaning.

The next time you are listening to the news or watching a comedy show, ask yourself how the speaker is using intonation. Note the different kinds of intonation you hear – rising or falling.

Over time, you will begin to use intonation to show differences in meaning between statements, "yes/no questions," and other kinds of questions.

I'm John Russell.

Words in This Story

punctuation – n. the marks in a piece of writing that make its meaning clear and that separate it into sentences or clauses⁹

comedian – n. a person who makes people laugh by telling jokes or funny stories or by acting¹⁰ in a way that is funny

auxiliary verb – n. a verb used with another verb to how the verb's tense or to form a question

mispronounce – v. to say or state (a word or name) incorrectly

refer – v. to direct attention to; to describe

informal – adj. casual; unceremonious

interrogative – n. a word used in questions

role – n. an actor's part in a play or movie; a position or job

1 intonation   

n.语调，声调；发声

参考例句：

• The teacher checks for pronunciation and intonation.老师在检查发音和语调。
• Questions are spoken with a rising intonation.疑问句是以升调说出来的。

2 punctuation   

n.标点符号，标点法

参考例句：

• My son's punctuation is terrible.我儿子的标点符号很糟糕。
• A piece of writing without any punctuation is difficult to understand.一篇没有任何标点符号的文章是很难懂的。

3 humor   

n.(humour)幽默，诙谐

参考例句：

• He is distinguished for his sense of humor.他以其幽默感著称。
• American humor is founded largely on hyperbole.美式幽默主要以夸张为基础。

4 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

5 upward   

adj.向上的，上升的；adv.向上，上升

参考例句：

• The birds flew upward.鸟儿向上飞去。
• Prices have an upward tendency.价格有上升的趋势。

6 auxiliary   

adj.辅助的，备用的

参考例句：

• I work in an auxiliary unit.我在一家附属单位工作。
• The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of blackout.这家医院装有备用发电系统以防灯火管制。

7 casual   

adj.漠不关心，冷漠的；随便的，非正式的；偶然的，碰巧的

参考例句：

• He earns a living by casual labour.他靠做临时工为生。
• The guests wore casual clothes.客人们穿着便服。

8 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

9 clauses   

从句( clause的名词复数 )； （法律文件等的）条款

参考例句：

• Relative pronouns and adverbs introduce attributive clauses. 关系代词和关系副词引导定语从句。
• Please underline the noun clauses in the passage. 请用线画出短文中的名词性从句。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。