Argomentando l’opposizione nelle strategie espressive dell’inglese parlato

The appropriate interpretation and the correct usage of connectives in English are often different in written and spoken language. In particular, in the case of spontaneous spoken English, the use of linking, adverbs, and prepositional particles which function as connectives are combined with, or are actually completely substituted by “intonational contours”. These contours cannot be substituted with other forms; so much so that not even the well-studied scorings systems used for written texts render merit to the importance of the particular dynamic of intonation chosen.

The goal of this paper is to illustrate the determining role played by intonation in oral texts regarding “connectives of opposition, or contrast”. It is fundamental to the construction of the text, as it is tied to the constant and direct contact between who delivers it and its receivers, the textual sequence and its context. Intonation also works at a syntactical level, by clarifying the sense of an enunciation. It is an instrument for the emphasizing separation and opposition, above all when an upward-downward pattern of dynamics is followed. Furthermore, it plays an important “emotional and attitudinal” role; and therefore enriches the significance of the text.