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A Reflection on Tone and Its Pedgogical Implications

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A Reflection on Tone and Its Pedgogical Implications SER, VOLUME 13 (2): October 20J2 A REFLECTION ON TONE AND ITS PEDGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS SHEHU SIDI IBRAHIM (Ph.D.) AND UMAR JIBRIL ABSTRACT Tone is central to the study of English speech beyond the individual words. This is obvious in languages tike English, but rone and intonation interfaced in the study of die global theory of intonational phonology. This paper takes another look at tone, beyond its conception in relation to words, it sees it as inclusive term precluding both tone and intonation. The first part of the paper introduces intonation as phenomena central to the learning of second language like English without which it could not be learnt properly. In the second part of this paper pitch as vibration of vocal cords caused by pressure from lungs in an attempt for humans to speak specific to particular languages was handled. The third part addresses tone as contrastive and relative phonological term in relation to words of a language. In part four issues like tone floating syndrome and functions of tone in African languages and English were explored. Part five summed the major arguments of the paper that intonation needs to be properly and pragmatically taught and future direction of matching theoretical fonnulations and practical drills and exercises and mode of designing them was proposed as area of research in English/Nigerian languages. Key words: Implications, Pedagogy, Pitch, Tone, Tone Floating, Tonmorphs Introduction Received Pronunciation RP seems to be wider in the area of intonation In the process of second language than any other area of speech. This learning intonation is probably one paper reflects on intonation, tone of the phenomena in language and related matters, as well as their without which one can never speak pedagogical implications. A tone is English like a native speaker. important in this investigation for Adegtubgo (1984) asserts that the the fact that Nigeria as an ESL English spoken in Nigeria is country most of the languages are different from the English spoken tone languages trying to learn a in Britain. He cites examples of second language-English which is requests which are made with intonational. While intonation is rising tone final intonation pattern voluntary pitch patterns that are contrasted with the falling tone used in English language at the final intonation in Nigerian English levels of the sentences a tone form. Therefore the gap between language is (one) in which pitch is n r ts Ngra English and BritishNigerian significant, contrastive, but A Reflection on Tone and Its Pedgogical Implications relative...on each syllable Pike which are common to the speech (1984). All these have implications community and which are of based on the above parity between considerable linguistic and social tone and intonation in both importance. teaching and learning, tone and related matters are further A number of observations can be explored. Let us begin by made from the above definitions. discussing pitch as a relevant First, pitch largely depends on the aspect in the next section. speed of vibration of the vocal cords. Thus if the vibration of the Pitch vocal cords is fast: the pitch of voice accordingly becomes high. This is the name commonly To that extent, therefore, pitch is a associated with the vibration of the feature of voiced sounds. Secondly, vocal cords caused by air pressure although pitch variation is common from the lungs Fromkin and to all natural languages, it is by no Rodman (1978). Speakers of all means distributed at random; it is languages change the pitch of their organized: and the way pitch is voices when they talk and the pitch utilized by languages seems to be so produced depends upon the specific to them. In other words, speed of the vocal cords or the every language has its way of frequency of the vibration: the utilizing pitch either to signal faster the vibration, the higher the intonation (like English or pitch perceived. In other words, all German), accent (like Japanese or speech sounds arise from the Ancient Greek) or lexical (like physical act of making the vocal Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Chinese or cords or folds vibrate in the larynx. Korean languages). Normally when Without phonation there is no a language makes use of pitch over perception of pitch. Pitch can be phrases to define intonation, it does associated with the resonance of not simultaneously as a distinctive the speaker’s voice and contrasts feature signaling words. This with whispered speech (where therefore means that emphasis or there is no vocal cord vibration). prominence will also be signaled Robin (1964:110-112) describes differently across languages. pitch as the result of the speed of English for example uses focus, or the vibration of the vocal cords in emphatic accent, to signal the voiced parts of utterances. prominence, e.g. ‘Zaid went to the Abercrombie (1967:107) while market (not Abba)’, while Hausa accepting Robin’s definition (because it is a language with cautions that pitch is by no means a lexical tone) uses word order random fluctuation but follows movements for the same function, well-defined melodic patterns e.g ‘Ai Zaid nee yaa tafii kasuwa’. 57 SER. Volume 13 (2): October 2012 In the English language again, it Tone does not matter whether one says (dog) with a high pitch or a low So much has been written on tone pitch: it will still mean (dog). by both Nigerian and non Nigerian However, if one should say (ha) scholars so that our attempt to give with a high pitch in Hausa it will it any undue prominence may risk mean “open your mouth” as the danger of being interpreted as a mothers often say to their children. mere replication of the works of Whereas if one says (ha) with a others. However, this does not low pitch, it will mean, “something mean it will not be mentioned. Sani has happened” or someone has (1984:40) describes tone as a pitch been thrown as in a wrestling bout. of voice on which individual Languages in which regular syllables of a word are uttered sequences of different pitches naturally in order to convey a characterize stretches of speech proper meaning to the listener. He between sounds are said to be goes on to explain that every intonation languages, whereas syllable, in a tone language, has its languages in which pitch assigned pitch of voice or tone. differentiation marks the Thus, whereas some syllables are distinction between one word and produced on a high tone others are another are known as tone produced on a low tone. The languages. English, French, syllables uttered on a high pitch of German and many Indo-European voice are said to have a HIGH languages belong to the first TONE, while the ones that are category, while most African uttered on a low pitch are said to languages such as Hausa, Yoruba, have a LOW TONE. Igbo, Izon and Ewe etc. belong to the second category. Discussion of Pike (1948) defines a tone pitch variation across languages is language as that in which pitch is necessary to make sense of the significant contrastive, but overall focus of this paper. One relative...on each syllable. important reason is that the subJect However, this definition is of our paper is mainly on the considered too strong by Welmers differentiation in the utilization of (1950) for its requirement of a pitch between the educated significant pitch on each syllable. speakers of Nigerian English and Thus, Welmers proposes a the speakers of standard British modified version: A tone language English. We now link to the is (one) in which both pitch discussion of tone and related phonemes enter into the matters. composition of at least some morphemes (Welmers, 1973 and Hyman, 1975). Welmers maintains 58 A Reflection on Tone and Its Peclgogical Implications that since some morphemes (and as a non speaker. For instance, Just therefore syllables) may actually be as the substitution of /m/ or /b/ can 'toneless, it is wrong to expect change English ‘make’ to ‘bake’ significant pitch on each syllable and change the lexical meaning and this is especially so when one from creating, constructing or considers the Tone Floating preparing something by combining Syndrome where tonal morphemes materials or putting things together, or ‘tomorphs’ are not carried on to ‘cooking something by dry heat any segment of a given word. in an oven or by making Hyman and Tadadieu (1976:61) something’. So in Hausa the report that Mbui, a language substitution of (n) for (d) can spoken in Cameroon, represents a change ‘nawa’ (how much?) To good case of a language in which ‘dawa’ (forest or Jungle): but also the phenomenon of tone floating is substitution of a low tone for a high evident. tone can change (ga) meaning (to) and (ga) meaning (see) so that ‘ga What we have Just done is simply Audu’ becomes (to Audu) and ga to present the scholars’ views on Audu refers (to see Audu) low the phenomenon of TONE against high tone. FLOATING. We by no means, attempt to get embroiled in the Tone languages can function in two discussion of the merits and basic ways: they have lexical and demerits of Pike’s (1948) position grammatical functions. When tone and Welmers (1959) modification is used almost exclusively to of it. Having said that, we shall distinguish word meaning as point out that nearly all above, we say that such function is phonologists agree that one of the lexical. basic functions of a tone language In Igbo, tones (the distinctive is that it requires a significant pitch patterns of pitch or pitch changes) on each syllable.
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