常州朗閣雅思培訓(xùn)名師表示:某些句型由于句尾語調(diào)的改變而引起意義改變的現(xiàn)象。
1. 使用疑問詞who, which, what, how, when, where, why的特殊疑問句可以用降調(diào)也可以用升調(diào),但含義是不同的。如:
1) A: Mr. Smith thinks we ought to get the money in hand first.
B: Who? (↗)
A: Mr. Smith.
B用升調(diào)說“Who”,表示聽不清對(duì)方談話中的某一部分,要求對(duì)方再重復(fù)那一部分。
2) A: We'd like to have someone to say a word at the beginning to welcome the group.
B: Who? (↙)
A: We thought that you or Dr. Johnson might do it.
B用降調(diào)說“Who”,其意思是問,對(duì)方想讓誰在開場(chǎng)時(shí)致歡迎詞。
2. 附加疑問句可以讀升調(diào)也可以讀降調(diào),意思是不相同的。降調(diào)表示發(fā)問者相信陳述句的內(nèi)容,只等對(duì)方證實(shí)。升調(diào)表示發(fā)問者對(duì)陳述句內(nèi)容的真實(shí)性沒有把握,希望對(duì)方作出自己的判斷。如:
3) A: You will finish the work, won't you? (↙)
B:Yes, I will.
A用降調(diào)提問,意思是:I know you will finish the work, but I want you to confirm it.
4) A: You will finish the work, won't you? (↗)
B:Yes, I will.(或No, I won't.)
A用升調(diào)提問,表示A心中沒有把握,因此,得到的回答既可能是肯定的,也可能是否定的。
因此,如果聽到下面的對(duì)話并就所提問題進(jìn)行選擇時(shí),哪個(gè)選項(xiàng)正確也就不言而喻了。
5) W: Mary says she likes playing tennis.
M: But she doesn't play tennis often, does she? (↙)
Q: What does the man imply about Mary? (B)
[A] She plays a lot of other sports.
[B] She doesn't really like tennis.
[C] She only likes watching tennis.
[D] She has a lot of things to do.
3. 語調(diào)可以反應(yīng)談話人的互動(dòng)性。如:
6) A: Are you Mr. Blake?
B: Yes. (↙)
A: Room twenty-six.
在這個(gè)例子中,B用降調(diào)說“Yes”,表示B的認(rèn)可,這是一個(gè)封閉式的回答,這表明如果A沒有新的問題要問或新的信息要告知,也許他們的對(duì)話就可以結(jié)束了。
7) A: Are you Mr. Blake?
B: Yes? (↗)
A: Ah, the secretary would like a word with you.
在這個(gè)例子中,B用升調(diào)回答“Yes”,表示這是一個(gè)開放式的回答,相當(dāng)于:“Yes. But why do you ask?”或是“Yes. But who wants to know?”之意。這也就是說,B在回答A的問題的同時(shí)又向A提出了一個(gè)新問題,并要求A予以回答。
總而言之,只要英語學(xué)習(xí)者內(nèi)心樹立了對(duì)語調(diào)的重視意識(shí),培養(yǎng)起敏感的感知能力和反應(yīng)能力,經(jīng)過多年的英語學(xué)習(xí)和積累,再加上我們從母語中獲得的語調(diào)知識(shí),我們肯定能成功應(yīng)付語調(diào)的問題。而在聽力考試中,除了我們能聽得到的說話人的語音特征,如語速的絕對(duì)調(diào)高的語調(diào)范圍及語調(diào)之外,輔之以詞匯意義的上下文線索的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)所圈定的范圍等,選出正確的選項(xiàng)應(yīng)該不是一個(gè)困難的問題。