2019-08-12 Pronunciation: thought groups, commas

Greg Malivuk
gmalivuk@staffordhouse.com
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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There’s a “unit” of English pronunciation between words and sentences.
1 individual sounds /i/, /ə/, /ð/, /θ/, etc.
2 syllables
3 words
4 thought groups
5 sentences
Thought groups are complete phrases that can go together to make a sentence.
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We. Do. Not. Speak. Word. By. Word.
(Someone who separates words like this sounds angry.)
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Different divisions of thought groups can change the meaning. (Between thought groups there is often a very short pause.)

a) 7-week-long vacations
b) 7 / week-long vacations (The / means we divide thought groups. It’s not punctuation.)
a = vacations that last 7 weeks
b = seven vacations that are each 1 week

twenty-five-year-old newspapers = some newspapers that are from 1994
twenty / five-year-old newspapers = 20 newspapers from 2014
twenty-five / year-old newspapers = 25 newspapers from last year
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p. 73 exercise 1A - Do you hear one thought group or two? What are the different meanings?

Please call me Ben. = My full name is Benjamin but I prefer “Ben”.
Please call me, Ben. = I’m talking to Ben, and I would like him to call me.
Please call me. - Ben = You’re reading a note Ben left. He wants you to call him.

Who’s hiring Julia? = Someone is hiring Julia, and I want to know who.
Who’s hiring, Julia? = Someone is hiring, and I’m asking Julia who that is.
Who’s hiring? Julia? = I want to know who’s hiring. I think it might be Julia.
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Let’s eat, Grandma! = I’m inviting my grandmother to eat with me.
Let’s eat Grandma! = I’m inviting other family members to eat our grandmother.
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Sometimes commas don’t help. You need to hear it to understand.

We invited the rhinoceros, Washington, and Lincoln.
- If this is a list (rhino + Washington + Lincoln), the tone goes up, up, and down.
- If “Washington” is the name if the rhino, it is in a lower tone than the other two.

We invited the rhinoceros, Washington and Lincoln.
- Without the final comma, this is a list written by someone who doesn’t use the Oxford comma.

We invited the rhinos, Washintgon and Lincoln.
- If this is a list (rhinos + Washington + Lincoln), the tone goes up, up, and down.
- If Washington and Lincoln are the name of the rhinos, then they’re both in a lower tone (up-down)
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The Oxford (or serial) comma is the comma before “and” or “or” in a list of three or more items.
It’s a “controversial” topic.
	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma
- In your writing, just make sure to be consistent.