Intonational Meaning of Sentences in the Speech Discourse: An Empirical Study Based on the Sentence Intonation of Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas Speech

DOI: 10.5176/2251-3566_L319.424

Authors: Ms. Yunjie Huang

Abstract: The thesis aims to investigate the intonational characteristics of specific sentences of the speech discourse delivered by Queen Elizabeth II. In the study, pitch comparison, pitch events and intonation contours are taken into consideration. Results show that while saying related sentences, the Queen provides support of the theme, spotlight mutual beliefs, search for recognition and achieve some related goals, with the use of intonation contours H*L-L%, L* L-H%, and H*H-L%, as well as pitch accents H*, L*+H and L+H*. Reasonable and ingenious employment of different tones of sentences makes 2017 Christmas speech delivered by Queen Elizabeth II more fantastic and full of affinity

Keywords: intonation; AM theory; sentence