Intonation(II).docVIP

外语系 谭红梅 课次：12 2010-2011学年第一学期 《英语语音》教案 Intonation (II) Intonation Group Main aims of the lesson: To help students understand how speakers organize their thoughts. Contents of the lesson Purposes Intonation-group To enable students to isolate pitch patterns by defining where one pattern ends and the next begins. Components of intonation group To explain to students the four constituent elements of an intonation group: the pre-head, the head, the nucleus and the tail. Declination Downdrift To help students understand that the declination and downdrift are used to predict the normal pitch pattern of utterances. Nuclear tone To raise students’ awareness that a nuclear tone is the prominent movement of pitch that starts on the tonic syllable and continues through the tail to the end of the intonation group Activities and Procedures 1. Raise students’ awareness that intonation group is the domain for analysis and description of stress and intonation. 2. Let students know that speakers use a larger number of shorter tone units in informal conversational speech, and fewer, longer tone units in formal styles. 3. Explain to students that a universal tendency of all languages to start speaking at a higher pitch than is used at the end of the utterance. 4. Help students adjust themselves to the different intonation contours of English and acquire the pitch movements of each tone. 5. Have the students practise the guided conversation. Ask them to pay special attention to the tonic syllable in intonation groups. 6. Ask students to listen, imitate and practise until they get tonic syllable right. 7. Comment on the students’ performance by highlighting the achievement of the students and the efforts they need for the improvement. 8. Ask the students to do more practice after class and get ready for presentation during the next session. Teaching Notes 1. Intonation group- Intonation