The Form, Function and Distribution of High Rising Intonation: a Comparative Study of Hrt in Southern Californian and Southern British English

The use of the High Rising Tone (HRT) on statements has sparked much debate in recent years but there has been surprisingly little comprehensive research carried out on this phenomenon. This book presents an investigation into HRT in Southern Californian and Southern British English. It examines the phonological and phonetic form, and the pragmatic function and sociolinguistic distribution of HRT. This book adopts a holistic approach to examine the form, function and distribution of HRT use across male and female Southern Californian and Southern British English speakers. The phonetic realisation of HRTs is examined by taking phonetic measurements which are then subjected to statistical analyses. The distribution of HRTs across three pragmatic variables are also examined. Case study analyses are conducted in order to carry out a detailed analysis of pragmatic functions of HRTs. The sociolinguistic distribution of HRT is examined in order to determine the frequency of HRT occurrence. The analysis adopts a comparative approach and it should help shed some light on the form and use of HRT in Southern Californian and Southern British English.