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KMID : 1022420090010020119
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Phonetics and Speech Sciences
2009 Volume.1 No. 2 p.119 ~ p.128
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A Study on the Intonational Patterns in English Information Structures
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Kim Hwa-Young
Oh Mi-Ra
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Abstract
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Many researchers have argued about the relationship between information structure and intonation. Their results can be summarized in three main points: the intonation of topic and focus in English information structures is implemented as i) a pitch accent, ii) a tune (a pitch accent + (an) edge tone(s)), or iii) a boundary tone. The purpose of this paper is to study various intonational patterns of topic and focus in English information structures, using natural conversations. In this paper, the types of topics and foci are divided, based on contrastiveness. The topics are classified as five non-contrastive and four contrastive topics. The foci are classified as neutral focus, informational focus, and contrastive focus. The results show that the intonation of the topic in English information structures is mainly implemented as a pitch accent, except for the type of the pronoun topic (Lp) which is not implemented as a pitch accent or a tune. However, the intonation of the focus is implemented as a tune in the neutral focus (Fn) and as a pitch accent or a tune in the informational focus (Fi) and the contrastive focus (Fe). In our discussion and conclusion, we suggest that it is not always true that for the meaning of contrast, the topic or the focus is represented as a pitch accent, which has been the main contrastive intonation from earlier studies.
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KEYWORD
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Focus, information structure, intonation, intonational phonology, pitch accent, ToBI, topic, tune
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