Page 223 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

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Communication: Spoken English | 211

a. He’ll ‵fall (uninterested)
b. He’ll fall (concern)
∨
iii. Accentual function
Accentual function enables the speaker to make any part of his utter-
ance prominent in accordance with the meaning he/she would like
to convey. Any part of an utterance can be specially emphasized or
focussed by choosing the appropriate nucleus. The following sen-
tences will illustrate this.
a. You want͵ ′tea? (I thought you wanted coffee)
b. You, ͵want tea? (I didn’t think you wanted it)

c. ͵You want tea? (I thought somebody else wanted it)
Accentual function also helps distinguish between the ‘new’ and the
‘given’ information and thereby enables the speaker to determine the
choice of the tonic syllable.
The following example will illustrate this.

a. I went to the ‵office.
b. ͵Which office?
c. To the en͵ quiry office.

Uses of Tones

i. Falling tone
A falling tone is generally used for:
1. Statements
The postman was looking for ‵you.
2. Wh-questions
When will she ‵come?
3. Tag questions
It’s a lovely ‵day / ʹ isn’t it?

4. Commands
Shut the ‵door.
5. Exclamations
How sur ‵prising!

Bhatnagar_Chapter 09.indd 211 2011-06-23 7:52:58 PM
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