美式英语正音训练第9期:使用语调的四个主要原因

 　　Exercise 1-5:

　　Four Main Reasons for Intonation¹

　　Depending on the situation, a word may be stressed for any of the following reasons:

　　New Information Opinion Contrast and the word "Can't"

　　1. New Information

　　It sounds like rain.

　　Rain is the new information.

　　It's the most important word in that sentence and you could replace everything else with duh-duh-duh.

　　Duh-duh-duh rain will still let you get your point across.

　　Repeat:

　　Duh-duh-duh rain

　　It sounds like rain.

　　Make rain very musical and put it on two notes:

　　ray-ayn.

　　Duh-duh-duh ray-ayn

　　It sounds like ray-ayn.

　　2. Opinion

　　It sounds like rain,

　　but I don't think it is.

　　In this case,

　　intonation makes the meaning the opposite of what the words say:

　　It looks like a diamond, but I think it's a zircon.

　　It smells like Chanel, but at that price, it's a knock-off.

　　It feels like...

　　It tastes like...

　　These examples all give the impression that you mean the opposite of what your senses tell you.

　　Practice the intonation difference between new information and opinion:

　　It sounds like rain. (It's rain.)

　　It sounds like rain, (but it's not.)

　　3. Contrast

　　He likes rain, but he hates snow.

　　Like and hate are contrasted and are the stronger words in the sentence.

　　4. Can't

　　It can't rain when there're no clouds.

　　Contractions² (shouldn't, wouldn't) and negatives (no, not, never) are important words since they totally negate³ the meaning of a sentence, but they are not usually stressed.

　　Can't is the exception⁴.

1 intonation   

n.语调，声调；发声

参考例句：

• The teacher checks for pronunciation and intonation.老师在检查发音和语调。
• Questions are spoken with a rising intonation.疑问句是以升调说出来的。

2 contractions   

n.收缩( contraction的名词复数 )；缩减；缩略词；（分娩时）子宫收缩

参考例句：

• Contractions are much more common in speech than in writing. 缩略词在口语里比在书写中常见得多。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Muscle contractions are powered by the chemical adenosine triphosphate(ATP ). 肌肉收缩是由化学物质三磷酸腺苷(ATP)提供动力的。 来自辞典例句

3 negate   

vt.否定，否认；取消，使无效

参考例句：

• Our actions often negate our principles.我们的行为时常与我们所信奉的原则背道而弛。
• Mass advertising could negate the classical theory of supply and demand.大宗广告可以否定古典经济学的供求理论。

4 exception   

n.例外,除外

参考例句：

• Everyone should keep discipline and you are no exception. 每个人都应该遵守纪律,你也毫无例外。
• There's an exception to every rule. 每项规则均有例外。