Studies on Contextual Function of Prosody
Zhou Shu-ping · Journal of North University of China · 2011
Based on Gumperz's theory that prosody is one of the contextualization cues,this paper explores the contextual function of prosody by looking into its property and expressive feature.It argues that prosody can help to contextualize the discourse,stimulate the frame of knowledge in listeners' mind and help them to focus on the key information the speaker aims to convey,and create a contextual atmosphere.It is an essential contextualization device to get the meaning of an utterance.