Context and Intonation

Hello. My name is Duncan Brown and I am an English Facilitator, here are some of my thoughts about learning the English language.

Silent movies

Have you ever watched a foreign movie and knew what was happening without understanding the language? I don’t mean a scene without dialogue; I mean how the actors deliver their lines and interact with each other. It’s easy to understand what is going on due to the usual cinematic cues: framing the scene, soundtrack, and the situation that is being presented. The tone of the actors’ voices are important too; quiet doesn’t necessarily mean gentle, or loud angry.

FIRE - falling, rising, fall-rise

When I shout the word, FIRE, what would you think? In my world, it’s because I burnt something in the toaster oven or grill. It’s a slightly over-the-top reaction to disappointingly ruining some bread. In the movies, FIRE could be an order to shoot cannons or for a firing squad to do their duty. Again, it could be to alert others of an unexpected fire or children being excited to see a bonfire for Guy Fawkes’ Night. Context is important when something is being said.

What does it mean by saying the word, FIRE, at a volume you normally speak at? Does the voice go up? Does the tone go down? Is it going up and down? When the voice goes up, I hear it’s a question; it could mean shall we make a fire or, is something on fire? When the tone is going down, I think it’s a statement of seeing a fire. If it's rising and falling, I imagine someone using the word, fire. Intonation is important when something is being said, it’s additional information being communicated.

One sentence, four meanings.

When talking about intonation in classes, I use a few rules to keep it simple. It has been said that Japanese is a monotone language but, I disagree. It may not be as exaggerated compared to the sing-song intonations of English but I hear similarities, especially to British English. My advice for Japanese people when speaking English is to emphasize your intonation a little more on keywords, like telling a story.

Read aloud the following sentences emphasizing the capitalized words:

THIS is my pen. (Out of many pens, this one is mine)
This IS my pen. (Recognizing the pen that belongs to me)
This is MY pen. (This pen only belongs to me)

This is my PEN. (It’s a pen; nothing else)

Look, listen, practice.

I believe Japanese people can naturally improve their English communication skills by being aware of the situation and putting more stress on keywords. It takes good observational skills to hear how native English speakers do it and plenty of practice to get it right. Understanding the context and using the correct intonation will help even when saying one word. Did someone say fire?

Brown’s English Language Schoolは、

・English (examination English, preparation for various exams)

・English conversation (adults, children)

・English communication skills

It is a school where you can learn in a fun way.

Courses can be taken either face-to-face or online.

Also,

・Seminar on useful differences between Japanese and English

・English Communication Workshop

・English Pronunciation Workshop

etc., are useful for communicating in English.

We hold seminars and workshops .