English Intonation: British and American Approaches

ABSTRACT (English version) Zanola A. (2004), English Intonation: British and American Approaches, La Scuola editrice, Brescia, 168 pp. ISBN 88-350-1701-7 The book describes English intonation on a theoretical basis and demonstrates how spoken language includes a great deal of variation, as speakers exploit the potential of intonational features to their full rhetorical effect; moreover, the volume constitutes a contribution to pragmatically driven studies of English intonation, according to the distinct British and American schools. In particular, the historical perspective on intonation here considered provides insights into developments within intonation studies and the ways suprasegmental discourse features have been viewed throughout centuries, from the first British studies in XVI century to the most recent researches both in UK and in the US. In its five chapters, ranging from terminological premises (definitions of key words such as ‘intonation’, ‘pitch’, ‘contour’, ‘level’) to the history of research studies, to the comparison between schools of thought (namely, British school vs American school), up to the description of the well-known intonation transcription methods, the volume offers both teachers and students a means of achieving a deeper and richer appreciation of intonational features of English and of applying this awareness to their daily practice.