Complex tones and pitch height

We have introduced three simple tones that can be used on one-syllable English utterances: level, fall and rise. However, other more complex tones are also used. One that is quite frequently found is the fall-rise tone, where the pitch descends and then rises again. Another complex tone, much less frequently used, is the rise-fall in which the pitch follows the opposite movement. We will not consider any more complex tones, since these are not often encountered and are of little importance.

One further complication should be mentioned here. Each speaker has his or her own normal pitch range: a top level which is the highest pitch normally used by the speaker, and a bottom level that the speaker's pitch normally does not go below. In ordinary speech, the intonation tends to take place within the lower part of the speaker's pitch range, but in situations where strong feelings are to be expressed it is usual to make use of extra pitch height. For example, if we represent the pitch range by drawing two parallel lines representing the highest and lowest limits of the range, then a normal unemphatic 'yes' could be diagrammed like this:

but a strong, emphatic 'yes' like this:

We will use a new symbol ^↑ (a vertical upward arrow) to indicate extra pitch height, so that we can distinguish between:

yes and ^↑ yes

Any of the tones presented may be given extra pitch height, but since this course is based on normal, unemotional speech, the symbol will be used only occasionally.