Prosody in the English speech stream

Author: Li Guirong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: For those with higher education, the ultimate goal of learning English is to use it—to use English to obtain information, enrich knowledge, convey information, and express ideas. Application primarily occurs in work and related research, so we have planned the series "Intonation in English Flow," "Writing Techniques of Harvard Business Review Articles," and "English Speaking Techniques." The aim of this series is to improve learners' efficiency and practical English application skills by analyzing real-life examples of English.
"Intonation in English Flow" consists of three parts:
Part 1 describes English phonetics, analyzing the principles and methods of pronunciation of basic sounds, as well as the changes of these sounds in English flow, using a large number of real-life examples—selected from internationally standardized English: VOA news, BBC news recordings, and the most popular English textbooks in China: Elementary Business English, Intermediate Business English, and Advanced Business English published by the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press; New Generation Communicative English by Alexander published by Tsinghua University Press; Business English 110 Examples by Longman; English Listening and Speaking Course for Graduate Students published by the China Renmin University Press. Additionally, it includes original listening test questions from important domestic exams: the original recordings of the non-English major postgraduate English passing exams organized by the Beijing Graduate English Association, attended by numerous universities in Beijing, and the original recordings of the English entrance exam for doctoral students organized by the China Renmin University Graduate School.
Part 2 describes the prosody of English, illustrating the strong prosodic presence in English discourse through numerous real-life examples. Whether one masters prosody is a major hurdle and a substantive step in mastering English. It elaborates on the constituent elements of prosody: syllables, stress in words, stress in sentences, pitch, pauses, speaking speed, and intonation, as well as specific methods for perceiving prosody and infusing one's speech with a sense of rhythm.
Part 3 describes the phonetic embellishment techniques of English, using concrete examples to show that the pronunciation system is a powerful means of reflecting the speaker's education level, cultural background, regional upbringing, field of study, and attitude toward life. In communication, accent is like clothing, playing a very important role, while phonetic flavor is a specific measure to enhance expressive effect. Methods to produce phonetic flavor include alliteration, assonance, identical endings, and onomatopoeia.