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Article published In:
English World-Wide
Vol. 37:3 (2016) ► pp.293–322

Malay English intonation

The Cooperative Rise

| University of Reading

This paper presents the findings of a study on the intonational features in ten proficient Malay Speakers of English (MSEs), focusing on a distinct rising tone (the Cooperative Rise, CR). Using Brazil’s (1985) Discourse Intonation as a framework for analysis, the CR discourse function differs from the rise and fall-rise of Standard Southern British English (SSBE). The CR is a referring tone used to provide extra emphasis on important information and create a more cooperative and supportive tone. The form and function of the CR are examined in relation to SSBE and other varieties of World Englishes. The results indicate that duration and pitch range of the CR are significantly different from the standard rise.

Keywords: Cooperative Rise, Malaysian English, Malay English, map tasks, intonation, Asian Englishes, prosody, discourse intonation
Published online: 18 October 2016
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/eww.37.3.03mat
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