Prosody is the section of grammar that focuses on the correct pronunciation of words. In this discipline the phonetic features involved in oral communication are studied. As for the term, it comes from the Greek prosoidia and is formed by the prefix pro, which means close to, and by the root oide, which means song.
General aspects of prosody
When we speak we use a certain intonation and this intonation becomes a melodic curve. This aspect is important for communication, because through intonation we express feelings and moods.
Prosody is directly related to the rhythm we impose on our words. In this sense, the rhythm of a message must be consistent with the syntax.
The human voice and its correct handling are decisive to communicate properly. Thus, when we speak, the voice transmits sensations to our interlocutor. On the other hand, the voice is part of the personal image.
From a technical point of view, prosody exercises are performed with various purposes
1) to speak at a correct pace, neither too slow nor in a hurry,
2) to exercise a good sound and intonation,
3) to correct certain defects in pronunciation or
4) to improve communication in certain activities or professions (teachers, announcers, lecturers, actors, singers, etc.).
In people with severe hearing difficulties
People with severe hearing problems, especially children, need to perform prosody exercises to improve their communication. The professionals who take care of this are speech therapists, who through intonation, registration and voice exercises try to improve the correct pronunciation of words.
In the classical world
The etymology of prosody refers to a fundamental aspect, the musicality of language. This aspect was highly valued by the Greeks and Romans, as they considered that oral communication was effective if it incorporated a certain musicality. In this sense, the speakers (philosophers, politicians or actors) had to speak with a certain tone of voice.
For this reason, in prosodic techniques accentuation, word spelling and pronunciation were studied.
The musical dimension of a language
When a language is learned, morphological and syntactic knowledge is assimilated. However, to understand a language correctly you have to know how to interpret its musicality. In other words, speaking is not a simple matter of words that are articulated in sounds, but it also implies a melodic dimension, which is produced by the prosodic aspects of the language.
Photos: Fotolia - Serhiy Kobyakov / xixinxing
