INFORMATION MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS OF PROSODY

Phonology

 

◈ INFORMATION MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS OF PROSODY

■ Prosody performs two related information management functions in English and many other languages: first it allows the speaker to segment information into meaningful word groups, and second it helps the speaker signal new or important information versus old or less important information.

 

 

 

 

◈ SEGMENTING INFORMATION INTO MEANINGFUL WORD GROUPS

■ In English, meaningful word groups typically end with a pause, a change in pitch, and a lengthening of the last stressed syllable (Gilbert, 1983). Such prosodic clues from the speaker help the speaker produce and the listener comprehend spoken English.

 

 

■This chunking function of prosody in grammar is nicely illustrated by paired examples such as the following where the same words with different prosody express very different meanings:

a. “Father, " said Mother, "is late." b. Father said, "Mother is late."
c. Have you met my brother Fred? d. Have you met my brother, Fred?

 

 

■ In somewhat less extreme examples, we can observe that the organizing function of prosody helps speaker signal (and the listener hear) the difference in meaning between constructions such a restrictive and nonrestrictive relative clause:

e. My sister who lives in Texas has three children. f. My sister, who lives in Texas, has three children.
or between a declarative utterance and an exhortation:
g. Wolverines fight to win. h. Wolverines, fight to win!

 

 

 

◈ SIGNALING NEW VERSUS OLD INFORMATION

■ The other information management function of prosody, i.e., marking new versus old information, has been discussed by Chaſe (1980), who points out that within a thought group, words expressing old or given information are generally spoken with weak stress and low pitch whereas words expressing new information are spoken with strong stress and high pitch.