In English, tone forms a well-developed, relatively independent subsystem of intonation. The interest in the study of the tone features of intonation is explained by the fact that the speaker can consciously realise it in important segments in terms of the meaning, which form the centre of the syntagma and where the other parts are located around it. The study of the semantic structure of tone within the constituent functions of intonation reveals the deep meaning realised in the text. In addition to the scientific-theoretical issues presented in the text, an experimental-phonetic analysis was conducted to accurately determine the role of intonation on the acoustic parameters of speech. The frequency, strength and time of the main tone were also analysed here. In addition, the melody, emphasis, tempo, timbre, intensity and rhythm of the text are also analysed. The purpose of the experimental-phonetic analysis is to determine the text intonation on three parameters – frequency, strength, and time of the main tone, by using the PRAAT program. Complex acoustic (localisation of acoustic parameters, frequency, intensity, time of the main tone) analysis was carried out with the help of experimental-phonetic analysis. The article provides oscillograms and spectrograms of selected language materials. The results of the experiment are presented in a diagram at the end of the article. In the experiments, specialised methods of mathematical-statistical and contextual analysis were employe

Gurbanova, Lala

English

Traektoria Nauki

Path of Science. 2025. Vol. 11. No 9  ISSN 2413-9009 Section “Languages”   3006  Theoretical and Experimental-Phonetic Approach To Text Intonation in English  Lala Gurbanova 2  1 Azerbaijan National Academy of Science, Institute of Linguistics named after Nasimi 31 H. Cavid, Baku, AZ1143, Azerbaijan  DOI: 10.22178/pos.122-85  LСC Subject Category: L7-991  Received 27.08.2025 Accepted 27.09.2025 Published online 30.09.2025  Corresponding Author: Lala Gurbanova  © 2025 The Author. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License      Abstract. In English, tone forms a well-developed, relatively independ-ent subsystem of intonation. The interest in the study of the tone fea-tures of intonation is explained by the fact that the speaker can con-sciously realise it in important segments in terms of the meaning, which form the centre of the syntagma and where the other parts are located around it. The study of the semantic structure of tone within the constit-uent functions of intonation reveals the deep meaning realised in the text. In addition to the scientific-theoretical issues presented in the text, an experimental-phonetic analysis was conducted to accurately deter-mine the role of intonation on the acoustic parameters of speech. The frequency, strength and time of the main tone were also analysed here. In addition, the melody, emphasis, tempo, timbre, intensity and rhythm of the text are also analysed. The purpose of the experimental-phonetic analysis is to determine the text intonation on three parameters – fre-quency, strength, and time of the main tone, by using the PRAAT pro-gram. Complex acoustic (localisation of acoustic parameters, fre-quency, intensity, time of the main tone) analysis was carried out with the help of experimental-phonetic analysis. The article provides oscillo-grams and spectrograms of selected language materials. The results of the experiment are presented in a diagram at the end of the article. In the experiments, specialised methods of mathematical-statistical and contextual analysis were employed. Keywords: experimental-phonetic analysis; acoustic parameter; frequency; intensity; time of the main tone.   INTRODUCTION The movement of the tone within the discourse provides the basis to determine the main content of the text and discover the initial motive of the in-formation, as well as creates a basis to distinguish the degree of importance of the individual compo-nents in the speaker's mind. Turayeva [11, 116] accepts suprasentential units as units of text: su-prasentential units are parts of text characterised by a single, relative content and functional com-pleteness, with logical, grammatical, and lexical connections that closely combine their compo-nents. Accordingly, the listener can adequately de-code the information transmitted by the speaker through specially identified components, such as intonation. Galperin [2, 71] evaluates a sentence as constitution of a suprasentential unit as a con-stituent of the text. Just as a sentence can indicate the interaction and interdependence of its compo-nents, the meanings of words so that a suprasentential unit indicates the interaction and interdependence of its components, the meanings of sentences. The conclusion is that communica-tion is a joint activity of the brain and language. The expression of events and objects in speech, which are the sources of information generated during thinking, undergoes several processes – the components of intonation form the structure of speech. The phonetic phenomena that occur be-tween words, syllables, and phonemes during speech are clarified by conducting experimental-phonetic analysis. The linguistic materials pre-sented in the article are extensively and accu-rately analysed in three parameters (frequency of the main tone, intensity parameter, and time pa-rameter) through an experimental-phonetic anal-ysis, in addition to a theoretical analysis.   Path of Science. 2025. Vol. 11. No 9  ISSN 2413-9009 Section “Languages”   3007  METHODS The "PRAAT" program was used in the experi-mental-phonetic analysis. The study employed a complex semantic-intonation analysis of language units (electroacoustic), a comparative analysis method, mathematical-statistical calculation methods, and descriptive and contextual analysis methods. Here, the "Sightseeing" text was used as the language material. Analysis of the language material using the "PRAAT" program revealed that the acoustic parameters of the speech signals, specifically the frequency, strength, and duration of the main tone, were accurately analysed for the voiced material. The International Phonetic Al-phabet [7, 204] was used in the transcription of the language material.  RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS  One of the primary features of modern experi-mental-phonetic research is its focus on speech perception, specifically through experiments that target speech perception. 'The experimental pho-netics, in general, characterises the melody in in-tonation and its main component in the percep-tion and the clarity of information by the listener in a live speech' [5, 58]. The instrumental study of the language material is one of the distinguishing features of the most modern methods of analysis. This fact enables lin-guists-experimenters to obtain detailed, objective information, primarily for studying the acoustic parameters of live speech in its dynamic aspects. In contrast to the statistics of the written text in which the language structures are recorded, the description of the dynamics of the monologue or the dialogic speech is accompanied by certain dif-ficulties. 'In natural speech, a single phonetic seg-ment may have many different acoustic represen-tations, depending on the context in which it is spoken. An extensive body of research over the last 30 years has focused on identifying acousti-cally invariant properties of phonemes that medi-ate speech perception [3, 210-218]. Veysalli [12, 126] writes: 'The most difficult point in the spec-trographic and the oscillographic analysis is the segmentation of the speech act, because there are no regular curves for this or that sound. However, the accuracy of the analysis results depends on the precise delimitation of the sounds, as defining the boundaries allows us to distinguish one sound from another and thus determine the calculation of the parameter values. The oscillograms and the spectrograms vary from one sound to another, from individual to individual, depending on their position in the speech chain. In the text, all of a person's emotions are revealed through the into-nation of their speech. The study of the expression of emotion in the text through the intonation is also reflected in Sherba's work: 'We can express the various affects in the most subtle shades: ha-tred, anger, indifference, irony, caress, elegance, tenderness, distrust, excitement, and so on' [10, 327]. Experimental phonetic analysis involves the study of sounds and speech units, specifying the processes that occur in the pronunciation of pho-nemes and all speech units through computer programs available worldwide. "If the perceptive analysis allows us to discover the perceived acoustic features of the sound speech at the per-ceptive level, the acoustic analysis reveals the physical correlations of the perceived qualities. This provides a basis for linking the two aspects of sound speech, as one of the main stages of the ex-perimental-phonetic study of speech sounds, di-rected at instrumental acoustic analysis of sound events and at auditory-perceptive analysis aimed at detecting perception of speech signals at the perceptual level. This serves to increase the accu-racy of the achieved results of the study" [9, 2]. This scientific and analytical field plays a major role in the detailed study of segmental and supra-segmental units of phonetics. Experimental pho-netic analysis enables precise analysis of speech acoustic parameters. The purpose of the experimental-phonetic analy-sis is to determine the text intonation on three pa-rameters – frequency, strength and time of the main tone—the background of the experiment, the intonation of the text (dialogic text). The texts in British English (RP), based on materials from the London Linguistic Institute, are vocalised by one male and one female native speaker. The movement of the tone within the syntagma – ris-ing or falling – creates the pattern of speech, re-veals its syntactic structure, and showcases its se-mantic capacity. The speaker's expressions of emotions, psychological state, and intensity are integral components of communication. It is the intonation that is directly related to the speaker's subjective attitude – encompassing emotions, ex-pression, will, and various acts of evaluation. We want to add that the emotional function of intona-tion can be attributed to its communicative func-tion, as communication involves the transmission of information through language or another sys-tem of signs. Thus, the emotional function of Path of Science. 2025. Vol. 11. No 9  ISSN 2413-9009 Section “Languages”   3008  intonation is to convey information about the speaker's emotional state and their attitude to-wards evaluating any object.  Jones [8, 7] notes that there are special devices that compare the sounds of English with those of other languages and study and show their differ-ences. This research is carried out by a special branch of phonetics, the instrumental and "exper-imental phonetics. The experimental phonetics studies the correct pronunciation of a foreign word in speech. The "PRAAT" computer program offers a wide range of opportunities, including the ability to perform oscillographic and spectro-graphic analysis of language materials and to ob-tain indicators of tonal frequency, intensity, and length, among others. The given computer pro-gram provides learners with the opportunity to learn speech fragments with recording times ranging from several minutes to 12 hours [4, 229-240]. Oscillographic and spectrographic analysis of the experimental material was carried out us-ing the computer program "PRAAT", and the acoustic parameters of the text, including the fre-quency, intensity, and duration of the main tone, were calculated and analysed.  In the English text 'saitsi · ıŋ', the speaker gives in-formation about himself. At the beginning of the text, the acoustic parameters are expressed by the following indicators: aı əm ̍ pi:-tə  ̖ ʧα:-ltən// (I am Peter Chalten). (See: Appendix for the whole text "Places of interest"). The base tone frequency: V1f -201 hs, V2f-180 hs, V3f -161 hs, V4f-170 hs, V5f -110 hs; The intensity parameter: V1i -77 db, V2f -68 db, V3i -66 db, V4i-76 db, V5i-60 db; The time parameter: V1t – 180 m/s, V2t – 87 m/s, V3t – 70 m/s, V4t – 148 m/s, V5t – 56 m/s (see: Figure 1).   Figure 1 – The oscillogram and the spectrogram of the syntagm  /ˈaım ˈpi:tə  ̖ ʧα:ltən//  In the second statement /aı əm ın ̮ðə ˈbıədzslı ho-tel(I am in the Biadzli hotel), the parameters ana-lysed are:  The frequency of the main tone: V1f –160 hs, V2f –151 hs, V3f –146 hs, V4f –161 hs, V5f –170 hs, V6f –132 hs, V7f –126 hs; The intensity parameter: V1i – 74 db, V2f – 75 db, V3i – 69 db, V4i – 73 db, V5i – 72 db, V6i – 64db, V7i – 71 db; The time parameter: V1t –148 m / sec, V2t – 69 m / sec, V3t – 78 m / sec, V4t – 142 m / sec, V5t – 83 m / sec, V6t – 80 m / sec, V7t – 77 m / sec (see Figure 2).   Figure 2 – The oscillogram and spectrogram of the syntagm  /aıəmın ̮ðə ˈbıədzslı hotel//  In the middle of the text. /maı ˈpɛərənts ̗lıv ðɛə ̖tu: |ənd ̮ðeı ̍noʊ ðə ̍hʌnts veri  ̖wel//(My parents also live there, and they know Hunts very well) this discourse has two syntagms.  The frequency of the main tone: I sintagm – V1f –152 hs, V2f – 167 hs, V3f –128 hs, V4f –147 hs, V5f –142 hs, V6f –120 hs; II sintagm V7f –150 hs, V8f –204 hs, V9f –175 hs, V10f –141 hs, V11f –142 hs, V12f –138 hs, V13f –110 hs, V14f –107 hs; The intensity parameter:  I sintagm -V1i -77 db, V2f -74 db, V3i -63 db, V4i -65 db, V5i -70 db, V6i-65 db; II sintagm -V7i –62 db, V8i –75 db, V9i –74 db, V10i –65 db, V11i –68 db, V12i – 61 db, V13i – 60 db, V14i – 59 db; The time parameter: I sintagm – V1t – 128 m/sec, V2t – 127 m/sec, V3t – 57 m/sec, V4t – 71 m/sec, V5t – 136 m/sec, V6t – 120 m/sec; II sintagm – V7t – 58 m/sec, V8t – 123 m/sec, V9t – 132 m/sec, V10t – 70 m/sec, V11t – 76 m/sec, V12t Path of Science. 2025. Vol. 11. No 9  ISSN 2413-9009 Section “Languages”   3009  – 65 m/sec, V13t – 70 m/sec, V14t – 68 m/sec (Fig-ure 3).    Figure 3 – The oscillogram and the spectrogram of the syntagm /maı ˈpɛərənts ̗lıv ðɛə  ̖tu: | ənd ̮ðeı ˈnoʊ ðə ˈhʌnts veri  ̖wel//  The acoustic parameters in the text with 2 syn-tagms at the end of the text / |α:ft-ə ̗ dı-nə | wi · ə ˈɡoʊ-ıŋtʊ ə ˈkon-sɜ:-t tə ˈðə ˈfes-tı-vəlhɔ:l // (After dinner we go to a concert in the Festival Hall):  The Progrediens syntagm – / ˈα: ftə ̗ dınə /: The frequency of the main tone: I syntagm -V1f –166 hs, V2f –150 hs, V3f –116 hs, V4f –142 hs; The intensity parameter: I syntagm -V1i – 76 db, V2f –63 db, V3i –59 db, V4i –67 db; The time parameter: I syntagm -V1t – 78 m/sec, V2t – 62 m/sec, V3t – 75 m/sec, V4t – 80 m/sec.  Terminal syntagm /wi·ə ˈɡoʊ-ıŋtʊ ə ˈkon-sɜ:-tət ̮ ðə ˈfes-tı-vəl  ̖hɔ:l//  The frequency of the main tone: II syntagm – V1f –155 hs, V2f –146 hs, V3f –135 hs, V4f –153 hs, V5f –168 hs, V6f –106 hs, V7f –121 hs, V8f –129 hs, V9f –117 hs, V10f –110 hs, V11f –116 hs, V12f –126 hs; The intensity parameter: II syntagm – V1i – 71 db, V2f -72 db, V3i -69 db, V4i -66 db, V5i – 73 db, V6i -52 db, V7i -57 db, V8i -58 db, V9i -63 db, V10i -56 db, V11i -57 db, V12i -61 db; The time parameter: II syntagm – V1t – 118 m/sec, V2t – 130 m/sec, V3t – 66 m/sec, V4t – 123 m/sec, V5t – 83 m/sec, V6t – 70 m/sec, V7t – 63 m/sec, V8t – 64 m/sec, V9t – 75 m/sec, V10t – 63 m/sec, V11t – 70 m/sec, V12t – 86 m/sec.   Table 1 – The variation of the main tone frequency within the text Variation of the main tone frequency Speaker 1 Speaker 2 Rising 29 27 Falling 88 91 Continuous tone 18 17 Table 2 – The variation of the intensity value within the text Variation of intensity speaker 1 speaker 2 Rising 30 27 Falling 84 89 Straight intensity  21 19  Table 3 – The variation of time value within the text Variation of time values speaker 1 speaker 2 Increasing 91 96 Decreasing 34 33 Equal time 10 6  CONCLUSIONS The experimental-phonetic analysis of the acous-tic parameters in the study determined the fre-quency levels at the beginning and end of the Eng-lish text, as well as syllable counts with text stress, which are relevant for intonation information. With reference to the acoustic results, it can be ob-served that English texts exhibit different intona-tion contours depending on the communicative type, purpose, number of syntagms, and their po-sition within the text (pre-, post-, and middle po-sitions), as well as the speaker's subjective atti-tude. The results of the experiment show that the tonal range of syntagms in the text is 75-165 Hz. As a result of the experiment, the average dynamic range of syntagms was determined to be around 62-71 dB. It was noted that in the analysed seg-ments (syntagms), the pronunciation rate in the nuclear syllables is prolonged. In English, the short and the medium intervals between the syn-tagms of the text are observed in 180-240 m/s. In English, the length of the emphatic-emotional in-terval between the syntagms of the text units was noted as relatively high compared to the neutral interval, a range of 240-680 m/s.  Taking all the above into consideration, we ap-plied experimental-phonetic analysis to deter-mine the characteristics of intonation in the per-ception of English texts. As a result, a female reads texts faster than a male. Therefore, the time of the main tone is either long or short. The male voice is more intense and stronger when reading texts. In the male voice, the time parameter of the main tone was recorded equally. The woman read the texts in a mostly rising and continuous tone. The man read the texts in a mostly falling tone. This different reading depends on the emotional ex-citement of both readers. According to the Path of Science. 2025. Vol. 11. No 9  ISSN 2413-9009 Section “Languages”   3010  recipients, the female speaker's voice had a more emotional reading style than the male speaker's when reciting texts.  REFERENCES 1. Boersma, P., & Weenink, D. (2018). Praat: Doing Phonetics by Computer. Retrieved from https://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/  2. Galperin, I. (2007). Text as an object of linguistic research. Moscow: Dom Kniga (in Russian). 3. Grunke, M. E., & Pisoni, D. B. (1982). Some experiments on perceptual learning of mirror-image acoustic patterns. Perception & Psychophysics, 31(3), 210–218. doi: https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03202525 4. Gurbanova, L. G. (2020). Experimental-Phonetic Analysis of Suprasentential Units in the English Language. International Journal of English Linguistics, 10(3), 229. doi: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v10n3p229 5. Hayward, K. (2000). Experimental Phonetics. Harlow: Pearson Education. 6. Linguaphone Group. (n. d.). Linguaphone. Retrieved June 1, 2025, from https://linguaphone.co.uk/ 7. International Phonetic Association. (1999). Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Retrieved from https://ia801006.us.archive.org/6/items/intonation-practice/Handbook_of_the_IPA.pdf 8. Jones, D. (2002). Selected Works (Vol. 1). London: Routledge. 9. Potapova, R. (2002). New information technologies and linguistics. Moscow: Moscow State Linguistic University (in Russian). 10. Sherba, L. (1974). Language system and speech activity. Leningrad: Science (in Russian). 11. Turayeva, Z. (1986). Linguistics of the text. Moscow: Education (in Russian). 12. Veyselli, F. (1993). Phonetics and phonology issues. Baku: Education. 

Theoretical and Experimental-Phonetic Approach To Text Intonation in English

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Theoretical and Experimental-Phonetic Approach To Text Intonation in English

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