module 8
Intonation
Introduction
So far, we have been focusing on changing some typically Dutch-like speech habits for more native-like English ones in your pronunciation of English.
If you really want to learn how to speak English with a more native-like RP accent, you should also learn how to use RP intonation. This is the final step of this course, which is deliberately dealt with last, since intonation is often seen as “the glue that holds a message together” (Abercombie, 1991, p.64, in Brown, 1956).
In this section, we will focus on gluing your pronunciation together by zooming in on RP intonation.
Exercise 8.1
Based on: Gussenhoven & Broeders, (1997)
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First of all, it should be mentioned that intonation is all about going up and down in pitch.
Listen to the sentences in recording 8a, in which the speaker is talking to someone called Mary, and write down in your own words what you hear in terms of intonation. Does the intonation go up or down? What could this mean? For each sentence you hear, write down ‘up’ or ‘down’ in your Pronunciation Portfolio and explain in your own words in your Pronunciation Portfolio what this could mean for how the sentence is interpreted. You will hear each sentence twice. There will be a short pause between the sentences.
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Recording 8a
