Intonation and the differentiation of syntactic patterns in English and German

This study presents a contrastive statement of the potential that intonation has for differentiating identically worded syntactic patterns in English and German. The descriptive apparatus for intonation is Hallidayan; the description of syntax is based on Quirk et al. (A comprehensive grammar of the English language). The primary focus is on tonality, the segmentation of spoken discourse into discrete intonation units. The study rehearses some well‐known, but also introduces some less well‐known, examples of tonality contrasts which realise syntactic distinctions that are concealed in the written form. A full listing of such contrasts is given for English, followed by an enquiry into the use of intonation in German in corresponding cases and in additional cases, leading to a full listing of such contrasts for German. Comparisons are noted, particularly in view of consequences for learning and teaching these languages.