Theoretical phonetics. Study guide for second year students. Борискина О.О - 75 стр.

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at once, please, when the meaning of the word please is neutralized by
intonation.
       Lack of balance between intonation and word content, or intonation and the
grammatical structure of the utterance may serve special speech effects. A
highly forceful or exciting statement said with a very matter-of-fact intonation
may, by its lack of balance, produce a type of irony; if one says something very
complimentary, but with an intonation of contempt, the result is an insult.
       Sentence Stress
       Sentence stress is a greater prominence of words, which are made more or
less prominent in an intonation group. The special prominence of accented
words is achieved through the greater force of utterance and changes in the
direction of voice pitch, constituting the nuclear tone.
       The difference between stress and accent is based on the fact that in the
case of stress the dominant perceptual component is loudness, in the case of
accent it is pitch. Degrees of stress in an utterance correlate with the pitch range
system. Nuclear stress is the strongest — it carries the most important
information. Non-nuclear stresses are subdivided into full and partial. Full stress
occurs only in the head of an intonation group, partial stress occurs also in the
prehead and tail. Partial stresses in the prehead are most frequently of a low
variety, high partial stress can occur before a low head. Words given partial
stress do not lose prominence completely, they may retain the whole quality of
their vowels e.g. /a:'tistik/.
       In tone-groups stress may undergo alternations under the influence of
rhythm, but there are some rules concerning words that are usually stressed or
unstressed in an utterance.
       Given below is the list of words that are usually stressed:
       Nouns. Adjectives. Numerals. Interjections. Demonstrative pronouns.
Emphatic pronouns. Possessive pronouns (absolute form). Interrogative
pronouns. Indefinite pronouns: somebody, someone, something, anybody,
anyone, anything (used as subject). Indefinite negative pronouns: no, none, no
one, nobody, nothing. Indefinite pronouns some, any (expressing quality).
Determinatives: all, each, every, other, either, both. Quantifiers: much, many, a
little, a few. Notional verbs. Auxiliary verbs (negative contracted forms). Two-
word prepositions. Two-word conjunctions. Particles: only, also, too, even, just.
       The words that are usually unstressed:
       Personal pronouns. Reflexive pronouns. Reciprocal pronouns. Relative
pronouns. The pronoun which in non-defining clauses is usually stressed, e.g. I
gave him a spade, which tool he hid in the barn. Possessive pronouns (conjoint
form). Indefinite pronouns: somebody, someone, something, anybody, anyone,
anything (used as object). Indefinite pronouns some, any (when expressing
quantity). Auxiliary verbs (affirmative form). One-word prepositions and
conjunctions. Articles. Particles: there, to. Modal verbs (contracted forms and
general questions are exceptions).