语言学概论第二讲.pptVIP

4) Tone and Intonation ma 妈 (level) ma 麻 (the second rise) ma 马 (the third rise) ma 骂 (the fourth fall) Tone (声调): pitch variations, which are caused by the differing rates of vibration of the vocal cords; a phonemic feature in tone lges. * tone lges: Lges that use the pitch of individual vowels or syllables to contrast meanings of words. English is not a tone lge, but Chinese is. * Intonation: the pitch differences that extend over phonetic units larger than the syllable. By means of intonation, syllables are grouped into phrases, and phrases into sentences. * Lges