Common Mistakes - Non-Native Common Mistakes - Native Finding a Teacher Greetings
Business Greetings Inflection and Stress
In English, words have fixed meanings in relation to tone. That is to say, inflection does not alter them. Ma, in English, is a nickname (informal name) for mother. It always means mother, no matter whether the inflection goes up, down, or stays the same. My son, for example, often gives as many as five or six syllables to the word "Mom", assigning a different inflection to each of them. These inflections don't change the meaning of the word "Mom," but they do indicate that the child is feeling annoyed, frustrated, and upset. English speakers often use this mode of speech when they're not getting what they want. Sometimes an "h" is even inserted between the syllables, and though the meaning of the word still does not change, this is generally interpreted by the listener as begging. So here though the explicit meaning of the word is the same, the implicit meanings can alter based on the tone and inflection of the speaker.
The most important role that inflection plays in English is distinguishing a question from a statement. In most cases, if the inflection rises at the end of the sentence, it is a question. If it falls, it is a statement. However, this is not the only thing that differs a question from a statement. In a question the subject and verb are usually reversed.
Statement: You are a doctor.
Question: Are you a doctor?
Typically, if the word order is that of a statement, and the inflection rises at the end, it is still considered a question.
You are a doctor?
However there are exceptions to this rule. There are many, many cases where inflection might rise at the end of a sentence, and it would still be a statement. Canadians tend to increase their inflection toward the ends of statements. Also, people in general tend to vary their inflection to express emotion or emphasis. When in doubt, examine the context (other things which were said and done just beforehand) of the sentence to determine whether the speaker expects a response.
Stress plays a far more important role in English than inflection. In each word there is a primary stressed syllable. Many words also have a secondary syllable and/or tertiary syllable that is stressed. The words must be stressed properly, or they will sound strange and will not be understood. Furthermore, the stress of a word can change its meaning. In English, stress is usually applied by speaking a word or syllable more loudly and slowly.
Some words are spelled identically and pronounced identically in both the noun and verb forms. In these cases, it is only the stress which determines the word's role in a sentence. In these examples, the stressed syllable is capitalized:
SUBject is a noun
subJECT is a verb
OBject is a noun
obJECT is a verb
SUSpect is a noun
susPECT is a verb
Stress also plays an important role in sentences. It does not change the meaning of the sentence, but rather the implications it makes. Here's a slightly humorous example. Here, the stressed word is in bold. Implied meanings are in parentheses.
I told you not to eat the whole cake. (But he didn't.)
I told you not to eat the whole cake. (So it serves you right if you have a stomach ache.)
I told you not to eat the whole cake. (But I didn't tell that other guy, so it's not my fault he ate it.)
I told you not to eat the whole cake. (I didn't tell you to eat it.)
I told you not to eat the whole cake. (I didn't tell you not to put it back in the refrigerator.)
I told you not to eat the whole cake. (I didn't say you couldn't have a slice.)
I told you not to eat the whole cake. (I didn't say you couldn't have a whole apple.)
Remember, the meaning created by stressed words depends heavily upon the context; that is, what was said and done before that sentence was spoken. So these implied meanings assume that other specific events have taken place. If other events took place, the implications would be different. However, they would be very similar to the ones I have stated above. Note that the second example is very similar to the cliche I told you so, which tends to indicate that the speaker is gloating.
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