Teaching English Prosodic Features

All of the elements of sound that function over verbal utterances longer than a discrete vowel or consonant and express meaning collectively are referred to as prosody or suprasegmentals. The importance of prosody in language learning lies in the fact that vocal cues convert meanings that cannot be picked up from context and influence how the individual sounds—that is, segmentals—are produced and understood. Among the sound attributes that give vocal behavior its unique characteristics are speech rate, reduced forms and linking, pauses, intonation, stress, rhythm, and voice quality. Two categories of prosody are distinguished: Lingusitic prosody refers to the intonation of sentences, including the specification of focus within sentences and stress within polysyllabic words whereas affective prosody refers to the expression of emotion in speech. These two processes are united by their use of vocal pitch modulation, but they are functionally distinct. This entry examines the various functions of prosody, the specific vocal characteristics that comprise prosody, and provides several classroom activities to enhance language learners' production and reception of the suprasegmental features of language.