Republic of the Republic of the Philippines

Leyte Normal University

Tacloban City

MODULE 2

Lesson 2

Prosodic Features of Language

Starting Up...

What is the feeling or message conveyed by the first utterance? How about
by the second utterance?

It was observed that in the first utterance, the feeling conveyed was a
complaint that is an expressive speech act that was expressed indirectly. Also, it is a
slow utterance that consequently, reduced the amount of information conveyed that
ends with a falling intonation. Whereas, the second utterance, conveyed a strong
emotion and ends with an exclamation mark or with a rising intonation. Aside from
that, it has a more forceful version than the first utterance that is a declarative
sentence. Moreover, it also suggest that the speaker is shouting.

Processing...

1. Does the manner by which the sentence is said affect the meaning of the sentence?
In what way?

Yes, the manner by which a sentence is said affects its meaning. Besides, it is
determined by the speaker's emotional state, and how he or she feels about what he
or she is saying. For instance, "I'm going to the store," is said in a very casual way
and conveys a sense of ease. On the other hand, if I said "I'm going to the store" in
a more formal manner, it then tends to convey a greater sense of urgency or
importance.

2. Do you believe that the meaning of the message does not lie so much on the
message itself but on how the message is conveyed? Why or why not?

Yes, I do believe that the meaning of a message does not lie so much on the
message itself as it does on how it is conveyed. In fact, it is clear that the message
itself is important, but it is also important to consider how one present their message.
Wherein, this can include one's tone of voice and body language as well as the words
he or she use. In addition, these factors have an impact on whether or not someone
will take what he or she saying seriously. For example, when we say "This is a good
article," we mean that it has some good content and is worth reading. However, this
does not really tell us anything about the meaning of the article as it only tells us how
well written it is. Thus, the meaning of a message does not depend on its content or
what it says, but rather on how it is delivered.

Let's Practice!

1. Falling Intonation

2. Rising Intonation

3. Rising Intonation

4. Falling Intonation

5. Rising Intonation

Let's Practice!

“Millions of Filipinos today / suffer needlessly each year.// These people endure
unbearable pain needlessly because, / although our government is capable of helping
them, / it chooses to ignore their pain. // Our government has no compassion, / no
empathy, / no regard for human feeling. // I’m here today to convince you to support
my efforts / toward legitimizing marijuana as a painkiller for terminally ill patients.” //
Shutting Down…

I should be careful with the way I speak because it can affect me and the
people around me. Besides, my voice is one of the things that sets me apart from
other people, and it’s what makes me unique. The way that I speak is one of the
things that makes people identify with my personality and who they think I am.

After this lesson, I think I can be a better communicator because the module
helps me to become one by providing me the tools I need to understand how to
effectively communicate with other people, as well as how to avoid common
communication pitfalls.