Purpose: Maximum flow declination rate (MFDR) in the glottis is known to correlate strongly with vocal intensity in voicing. This declination, or negative slope on the glottal airflow waveform, is in part attributable to the maximum area declination rate (MADR) and in part to the overall inertia of the air column of the vocal tract (lungs to…

This article outlines some of the key issues involved in developing a programme of strategy training for learners of French, in listening and in writing. It highlights the theoretical perspectives and research findings on listening and writing that informed the selection of strategies to teach learners and thence the development of appropriate…

This paper argues that Mandarin Chinese has a fixed syllabic represented by the template CGVX, with one slot in the onset and three slots in the rimeprime (as projection of the rime). It claims that the pre-nucleus glide is obligatory, is an independent constituent, and is adjoined to the rime constituent. Extensive evidence for this template is…

The following three levels of intonation are described, and their relationship is discussed: 1) a concrete and atomistic level of the perceptually relevant pitch movements, 2) a concrete and global level of the audible pitch contours and the measurable fundamental frequency curves, and 3) an abstract and global level of intonation patterns.…

Recent linguistic research has focused on the actual uses or functions of language. Parallel to the development of discourse analysis, traditional language learning and teaching philosophies and methodologies have been supplemented or replaced by functional approaches, focusing on developing communicative competence, beyond strictly grammatical…

Discusses Helmut Richter's work on prosody. Looks at the problems of spoken language perception as belonging not only to phonetics and acoustics but also to psychology. (Text is in German.) (TL)

Discusses rules governing the intonation of French phrases and sentences. (Text is in French.) (RM)

THIS ARTICLE, BASED ON A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF AMERICAN ENGLISH AND CHINESE, IS DESIGNED TO BE USED IN THE PREPARATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR THE PRESENTATION OF QUESTIONS IN THE TEACHING OF CHINESE. QUESTIONS CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO THREE CATEGORIES, ACCORDING TO THEIR FUNCTIONS--(1) PURE QUESTIONS, (2) RHETORICAL QUESTIONS, AND (3)…

Presented is a systematic linguistic description of such features as intonation and stress, usually summed up in the phrase "tone of voice." Paying special attention to English, the author has aimed to present as complete a description as possible, and to clarify the theoretical concepts needed to talk precisely about these phenomena. Following…

This study investigates the relative importance of intonational versus syntactic features in children's comprehension of language. The research employed a methodology in which a sentence was presented orally just prior to a tachistoscopic presentation of a picture in which various components were misrepresented. Subjects were 30 children at each…

An experiment is reported in which 25 listeners were presented with pairs of stimuli of equal duration, but differing in fundamental frequency, and were asked to decide which of the two stimuli was longer. (Author/RM)

An analysis of rhythm in French. The research project concentrated on two points: the perception of a "click" superimposed on an utterance and the reproduction of the click by a knock simultaneous with the stimulus. Conclusions based on linguistic and non-linguistic aspects are drawn. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

A discussion of the use of French puns for teaching both language and culture looks at possible class activities and proposes that advertising is a good source of puns. Types of puns are examined. (MSE)

A study of the order of acquisition and fossilization of several French forms by anglophone students focused on the intonative aspect of interlanguage and the transfer of learning from one language to another. (MSE)

Reports on a study that investigated the relationship between intonation in oral reading and reading comprehension of Black West Indies college students. Concludes that there were no significant relationships and outlines procedures for future research. (FL)