An Introduction to Intonation – Functions and Models

This chapter provides an introduction to intonation in general, and is loosely based on an oral presentation given in the workshop “Non-native prosody: phonetic description and teaching practice” in Saarbrücken. Although intonation is particularly difficult for learners of a second language to master, it is seldom taught systematically. Although much of the early work on intonation was didactic in nature, recent studies have tended to be more experimental and/or theretically rigourous. This has created a gap between intonation as it is used in teaching and intonation research, making it difficult for the results of such research to be of use to teachers of a second language. It is our aim to bridge this gap. We provide an overview of the main issues dealt with in current theoretical research, discussing the different forms intonation can take and the functions it can fulfill, the one of course dependent on the other. Reflecting the context of the workshop, examples are predominantly in German with English translations, accompanied where relevant by Italian equivalents. We then present the two currently most widespread models of intonation, which will hopefully be useful for second language teachers and textbook writers for their own research and for preparation of course material. We also aim to facilitate reading of current primary literature on aspects of intonation, in particular on languages not dealt with here. With this, we hope that results from theoretical research will find their way into the classroom.