Prosody and the Music of Speech

Prosody and the Music of Speech In phonetics, prosody (or suprasegmental phonology)  is  the use of pitch, loudness, tempo, and rhythm in speech to convey information about the structure and meaning of an utterance. Alternatively, in literary studies prosody is the theory and principles of versification, especially in reference to rhythm, accent and stanza. In speech as opposed to composition, there are no full stops or capital letters, no grammatical ways in which to add emphasis as in writing. Instead, speakers utilize prosody to add inflection and depth to statements and arguments, altering stress, pitch, loudness and tempo, which can then be translated into writing to achieve the same effect. Further, prosody does not rely on the sentence as a basic unit, unlike in composition, often utilizing fragments and spontaneous pauses between thoughts and ideas for emphasis. This allows more versatility of language dependent on stress and intonation. Functions of Prosody Unlike morphemes and phonemes in composition, features of prosody cannot be assigned meaning based on their use alone, rather based on usage and contextual factors to ascribe meaning to the particular utterance. Rebecca L. Damron notes in Prosodic Schemas that recent work in the field take into consideration such aspects of interaction as how prosody can signal speakers intentions in the discourse, rather than relying solely on semantics and the phrasing itself. The interplay between grammar and other situational factors, Damron posits, are intimately connected with pitch and tone, and called for a move away from describing and analyzing prosodic features as discrete units. As a result, prosody can be utilized in a number of ways, including segmentation, phrasing, stress, accentuation and phonological distinctions in tone languages - as Christophe dAlessandro puts it in Voice Source Parameters and Prosodic Analysis, a given sentence in a given context generally expresses much more than its linguistic content wherein the same sentence, with the same linguistic content may have plenty of different expressive contents or pragmatic meanings. What Determines Prosody The determining factors of these expressive contents are what help define the context and meaning of any given prosody. According to dAlessandro these include the identity of the speaker, her/his attitude, mood, ages, sex, sociolinguistic group and other extralinguistic features.   Pragmatic meaning, too, help determine the prosodys intended purpose, including the attitudes of both the speaker and audience - ranging from aggressive to submissive - as well as the relationship between the speaker and the subject matter - his or her belief, confidence or assertiveness in the field. Pitch is a great way to also determine meaning, or at least be able to ascertain the beginnings and endings of thought. David Crystal describes the relationship in Rediscover Grammar wherein he states we know whether [the thought] is complete or not by the pitch of the voice. If the pitch is rising ... there are more items to come. If it is falling ... there is nothing further to come. In any way you use it, prosody is pivotal to successful public speaking, allowing the speaker to convey a broad range of meaning in as few words as possible, relying instead on context and cues to the audience in their speech patterns.

The Roman King L. Tarquinius Priscus According to Livy

The Roman King L. Tarquinius Priscus According to Livy Like the reigns of the kings of Rome who preceded L. Tarquinius Priscus (Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullius Ostilius, and Ancus Marcius), and those who followed him (Servius Tullius, and L. Tarquinius Superbus), the reign of the Roman King L. Tarquinius Priscus is shrouded in legend. The Story of Tarquinius Priscus According to Livy An Ambitious CoupleProud Tanaquil, born to one of the foremost  Etruscan families in Tarquinii (an Etrurian city northwest of Rome) was unhappy with her rich husband, Lucumo not with her husband as a man, but with his social status. On his mothers side, Lucumo was Etruscan, but he was also the son of a foreigner, a Corinthian noble and refugee named Demaratus. Lucumo agreed with Tanaquil that their social status would be enhanced if they moved to a new city, like Rome, where social status wasnt yet measured by genealogy. Their plans for the future seemed to have divine blessing or so thought Tanaquil, a woman trained in at least rudimentary arts of Etruscan divination,* for she interpreted the omen of an eagle swooping down to place a cap on Lucumos head as the gods selection of her husband as a king. Upon entering the city of Rome, Lucumo took the name of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. His wealth and behavior won Tarquin important friends, including the king, Ancus, who, in his will, appointed Tarquin guardian of his children. Ancus ruled for twenty-four years, during which time his sons almost grew up. After Ancus died, Tarquin, acting as a guardian, sent the boys on a hunting trip, leaving him free to canvass for votes. Successful, Tarquin persuaded the people of Rome that he was the best choice for king. * According to Iain McDougall, this is the only truly Etruscan trait Livy mentions in connection with Tanaquil. Divination was a mans occupation, but women could have learned certain common basic signs. Tanaquil may otherwise be viewed as a woman of the Augustan age. The Legacy of L. Tarquinius Priscus - Part ITo garner political support, Tarquin created 100 new senators. Then he waged war against the Latins. He took their town of Apiolae and, in honor of the victory, started the Ludi Romani (Roman Games), which consisted of boxing and horse racing. Tarquin marked out for the Games the spot that became the Circus Maximus. He also established viewing spots, or fori (forum), for the patricians and knights. ExpansionThe Sabines soon attacked Rome. The first battle ended in a draw, but after Tarquin increased the Roman cavalry he defeated the Sabines and forced an unequivocal surrender of Collatia. The king asked, Have you been sent as envoys and commissioners by the people of Collatia to make the surrender of yourselves and the people of Collatia? We have. And is the people of Collatia an independent people? It is. Do you surrender into my power and that of the People of Rome yourselves, and the people of Collatia, your city, lands, water, boundaries, temples, sacred vessels all things divine and human? We do surrender them. Then I accept them.Livy Book I Chapter: 38 Soon he set his sights on Latium. One by one, the towns capitulated. The Legacy of L. Tarquinius Priscus - Part IIEven before the Sabine War, he had started to fortify Rome with a stone wall, Now that he was at peace he continued. In areas where water couldnt drain he built drainage systems to empty into the Tiber. Son-in-lawTanaquil interpreted another omen for her husband. A boy who may have been a slave was sleeping when flames surrounded his head. Instead of dousing him with water, she insisted he be left untouched until he woke of his own accord. When he did, the flames disappeared. Tanaquil told her husband that the boy, Servius Tullius would be a light to us in trouble and perplexity, and a protection to our tottering house. From then on, Servius was raised as their own and in time was given Tarquins daughter as wife a sure sign that he was the preferred successor. This angered the sons of Ancus. They figured the odds of their winning the throne were greater if Tarquin were dead than Servius, so they devised and carried out Tarquins assassination. With Tarquin dead from an ax through the head, Tanaquil devised a plan. She would deny to the public that her husband was mortally wounded while Servius would carry on as the king pro-temp, pretending to consult with Tarquin on various issues. This plan worked for a while. In time, word spread of Tarquins death. However, by this time Servius was already in control. Servius was the first king of Rome who was not elected. Kings of Rome 753-715 Romulus715-673 Numa Pompilius673-642 Tullus Hostilius642-617 Ancus Marcius616-579 L. Tarquinius Priscus578-535 Servius Tullius (Reforms)534-510 L. Tarquinius Superbus