Publications
Publication details [#64473]
Burdin, Rachel Steindel. 2018. Rises inform, and plateaus remind: Exploring the epistemic meanings of “list intonation” in American English. Journal of Pragmatics 136 : 97–114. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Keywords
Place, Publisher
Elsevier
Journal WWW
Annotation
This paper examines the meanings of plateaus and rises (in American English) in list contexts employing experimental methods. Contrasts between the contours focus on speaker beliefs about listener's knowledge. Plateaus notify that the speaker believes the listener knows the list items. Rises notify that the speaker believes the listener does not know the list items. Plateaus are heard as more patronizing; rises, as more obliging.