THE MEANING OF TONES IN DISCOURSE Part 1

Understanding Tones in Discourse

Overview of the Unit

• This unit focuses on the meaning of tones in discourse, starting with a review of Brazil's discourse intonation.

• The discussion will cover different genres and their interaction with intonation, including social roles as perceived through intonation.

Brazil's Discourse Intonation Approach

• Developed by Baby Brazil, this approach is an offshoot of the Birmingham discourse approach from the 1980s.

• In Brazil's theory, English tones serve two primary functions: proclaiming effect and referential effect. Proclaiming tones convey new information while referential tones indicate shared knowledge among speakers.

Proclaiming vs. Referencing Tones

• Proclaiming tones inform listeners about previously unknown information during conversations, akin to announcing royal edicts historically.

• Referential tones appeal to shared knowledge that may be established before or during interactions, often used in instructional contexts to signal familiarity with certain information.

Inquiry Types in Speech Acts

• Brazil identifies two types of inquiries related to speech acts: explanatory inquiries (providing new information) and eliciting inquiries (confirming assumptions). These occur at specific points within conversational exchanges.

• Finding out inquiries aim to fill gaps in listener knowledge, while making sure inquiries confirm or reject prior assumptions based on previous context or text. Examples illustrate these concepts effectively.

Informative Speech Acts and Meta Functions

• Informative speech acts have dual mental functions: they provide informational value regarding real-world topics and express emotions tied to experiences outside the conversation context. They also reflect textual meta-functions indicating old versus new information being negotiated within dialogue.

• Proclaiming tones can introduce explanations or instructions that bridge knowledge gaps for listeners; they may also add partially new information to existing concepts held by interlocutors. The fall tone can supply new insights relevant to requests or emotional states expressed during conversation exchanges.

Additional Insights on Tone Usage

• Rise and fall rise tones serve various functions in positive statements, marking relationships between ideas discussed earlier in conversations or linking upcoming references directly related to prior content shared between speakers.

• Level tone usage indicates no new information is presented; it serves cognitive processes like memory recall during speech or regulates turn-taking dynamics within conversations by signaling incomplete thoughts needing further elaboration from the speaker’s side. This tone can also denote ritualistic language use where speakers adopt expert roles distinct from their interlocutors' positions in discussions.