Tones and their Meanings from the Viewpoint of Harmony Theory

本研究は、英語のイントネーションにおける核音調 (Nuclear Tones) の音程構造をとりあげ、それぞれの音程の紡ぎだす和声構造の構造分析を行う。核音調として認められるものの数は、研究者によって異なるが、通常5種類から7種類程度が設定される場合が多い。本稿ではまず、①それらの核音調の周波数構造をPraat (またはWASP) によって抽出し、次に②その周波数構造を平均律音階に変換し、核音調の音程構造を記述する。そして、その結果得られた音程構造を、和声 (harmony) 理論から分析し、それぞれの核音調の持つ言語的意味を和声理論により考察し、和声的意味から音調的意味を明らかにしようとしたものである。This study discusses the harmony structure of nuclear tones in English. We examined three types of nuclear tones, Low Fall, High Fall and Fall-Rise as in J. C. Wells (2006), English Intonation and their tune structure was analyzed first auditorily, and then semantic analysis of each nuclear tone was carried out within the framework of O’Connor and Arnold, (1961, 2nd ed. 1973), Intonation of Colloquial English. The tonal structure of above three nuclear tones, Low Fall, High Fall and Fall-Rise was analyzed acoustically by drawing the pitch-contour using computer applications such as Praat or WASP. Thirdly, the above frequency structure of nuclear tones was transformed into musical notes in order to describe the harmony structure of three tones. Finally, all these results were integrated to discuss the relationship between the meaning and the harmony structure of nuclear tones. We found that 1) Low Fall nuclear tone terminates the IP with tonic notes or notes with tonic character in stable state, expressing coolness, surliness, and surprise. 2) High Fall nuclear tone terminates the IP, either with octave fall (or octave +αfall, or fall of seven degrees) in stable state, expressing airiness, briskness, and interest, or with the fall to dominant /subdominant notes in unstable state, expressing emphasis. 3) Fall-Rise nuclear tone terminates the IP with the former falling part heading toward the tonic (or octave stable sounds), and with the latter rising part heading toward the dominant (or passing notes toward the following notes), expressing that there is something to follow.departmental bulletin pape