Comparative Analysis of Melodic Variation of Concession Clauses with Two or More Syntagms in English and Azerbaijani

The article is devoted to the problem of comparative analysis of melodic variation of concession clauses with two or more syntagms in English and Azerbaijani. The research has been done on the basis of comparative-typological and experimental-phonetic methods, as both of the languages belong to different language families and they have different language systems. A lot of sentences from both languages have been chosen to carry out the experiment. A great attention has been paid to the sentences with two-syntagms and three-syntagms depending on the purpose of the research. After getting the results of experiment, the part of material belonging to English has been compared with the part that belongs to Azerbaijani. For this purpose PRAAT computer program has been used.


Introduction
Application of experimental-phonetic method in learning the sentence intonation gives an opportunity to express certain ideas about its characteristic features and to describe it visually.The prosodic structure of a sentence is formed on the combination of acoustic parameters, such as the development of the tone, the strength of the voice, the development of the pronunciation speed, tembre and pause.Acoustic characteristic of intonation is formed by the frequency, the vibration amplitude of vocal cords, muscle strenght of speech organs and different pronunciation timbers.

Scope of the Study
In modern linguistics experimental or experimental-phonetic methods play an important role.Thanks to experimental research works there were found links between grammar and phonetics.So, the topic of the article being directly connected with grammar and phonetics, we have had to look through different viewpoints of specialists.One of the Russian linguists Peshkovskiy in his researches expressed his attitude to the relationship between syntactic constructions and intonation.From his viewpoint intonation is a helping syntactic means.It is evident that in linguistics, the thought "intonation and grammatical means compensate each-other in the formation of a sentence" belongs just to him.He writes: "The more clearly any syntactic meaning is expressed, the weaker its expression by means of intonation can be, and visa-versa, when the intonation expression is stronger, the grammatical expression becomes weaker."(Peshkovskiy, 1960).
According to Scherba the syntax of communicative aspect consists of the absolute presence of the use of intonation in the formation of a sentence (Scherba, 1974).In this research Scherba's theoretical proposition "the intonation is a complex phonetic phenomenon and it is in close connection with syntactic constructions" has been referred to.
In the article intonation characteristics of a sentence is said to be closely connected with its semantic-syntactic structure.The most successful way of deterining similar and different intonation characteristics of compared concession clauses with two or more syntagms in English and Azerbaijani is carrying out an experimental-phonetic research, taking into consideration the semantic-syntactic structure and stylistic characteristic of the same sentence types.The syntagmatic structure of a sentence is very important in the analysis of intonation characteristics of a sentence.It is also of great importance if a sentence is one-syntagm or multi-syntagms, if a syntagm is used in pre-or post position, if a syntagm is complete from semantic poin of view and so on.
In Post-Soviet linguistics Scherba's viewpoints of syntagm as a main intonation unit are spread widely.The interpretation of a syntagm as a semantic-syntactic-phonetic unit belongs to him.The mutual influence of intonation and syntactic units in the research of prosodic features of utterance should be paid a special attention.In this case to determine some centers of sentence bearing meaning is a very important matter.By including syntagm in the other speech units we should admit that it is a main communicative unit.During the speech act any sentence is divided into small wholes from the point of view of intonation and meaning.Such units are called syntagm by Scherba (Scherba, 1958).In Scherba's syntagm theory, shortages of syntactic and phisiological criteria of speech act were liquidate.(Scherba, 1958).Scherba accepted the syntagm as a combination of menaing and material expression.He wrote: "I call the phonetic unit which expresses semantic unity, consisting of both one rhythmic group and combination of some of them formed in speech-thought process, a syntagm."(Scherba, 1958).
According to Scherba syntagm consists of words, word cobinations and even group of word combinations, too.Syntagm is not only able to part from the utterance, but it also forms them.In case syntagms can be separated from utterance, its being added to speech level is quite natural.In comparison with words and word combinations, syntagm is not constant, unchangable in speech, it is a variational structure.Only in speech context syntagm acquires full meaning.The meaning of the syntagm depends on the menaing of the whole, and its semantics can change depending on the intention of the speaker.The main feature of syntagmatic division of the sentence is that a syntagm is indivisible from intonation point of view.In the article syntagm is used in the meaning which was used by Scherba, i.e. syntagm is used as a whole which is indivisible from intonation point of view.
Brızgunova who touched the problem of the syntagmatic division of a sentence writes: "Syntactic partitioning of utterance is, on one side, connected with logical-syntactic structure of sentence, on the other side with the speaker's attitutde to what is said.The partitioning which is conditioned by logical-semantic structure of a sentence is eternal and absolute.However, parsing which is conditioned by the speaker' attitude to utterance is changable and undergoes variation in the same sentence of different speakers."(Brizgunova, 1977).Brızgunova finds such a partitioning ancillary and unimportant.The author considering bigger syntagms main ones writes: "As they express the main partitioning of a thought, it is important to distinguish them" (56,168).According to Brızgunova, minimal and main syntagm notions reflect the main features of syntagmatic partitioning, on one side-partitioning variations, and on the other side dependence of partitioning on syntactic structure of a language, and so it expresses the limitation of partitioning" (Brizgunova,1977).
According to Zinder, "The close relationship between intonation and sentence makes it one of the main factors of communication.... in order to understand a sentence it is not important to know all the words in it.Context makes it easy to restore the word which is unknown, even if such kind of "restoration" doesn't happen, the understanding of a sentence meaning is not excluded.... this time intonation plays an important role" (Zinder, 1979).According to Zinder "melody serves to express communicative types of sentence-declarative, interrogative and affirmative more than the other components of intonation" (Zinder, 1979).

Research Methodology
As the article is devoted to the elements of two languages belonging to different language families and having different systems, there has been a demand to use different methods, including comparative and experimental methods.In this research we have used comparative typological and experimental-analysis methods in the investigation of comparative analysis of melodic variation of concession clauses with two or more syntagms in English and Azerbaijani.

Experimental Phonetic Analysis of Melodic Variation of Concession Clauses with Two or More Syntagms in English and Azerbaijani
The learning of variation contour of a sentence can give strong incentive to the solution of variation problem.The main component of melody is in active connection with syntactic structures and a lexical construction.Linguistic and extra-linguistic factors such as the length, synntactic structure, place and the number of different stress types of utterance, intonation-context partitioning, context and condition, psychological condition of the speaker and his intention, as well as individual features of his speech can influence to the realization of variation of intonation.Like other units of language intonation contour can undergo variation, i.e., it can be expressed in either sounding, or in variants, realisations from semantic point of view.The variation of sounding creates intonation types and the variation of intonation contour guarantees the colourfulness of speech.
Yunusov who investigates intonation characteristics of composite complex sentences writes: "... intonation structure of these units is always closely connected with grammar.The intonation structure of composite complex sentences as well as its grammatical characteristics is the expression of general compliance of language functions" (Yunusov, 2008).
In the material which is connected with the solution of the intonation division, both syntactical composition and syntactic structure of syntagms must be paid attention.In this case there should be chosen such sentences that they could express different meanings depending on the division the sentence.In this division the place of the syntagm stress which plays the leading role must be taken into consideration.
In the recording process of the language material, two English and two Azerbaijani speakers' took part.Individual pronunciation deviations of speakers haven't been taken into consideration, on the basis of their concrete results average results have been got and avarege marks have been used in the interpretation of language material.Composite complex sentences are divided into main syntagms -principal and subordinate clauses.In composite complex sentences with concession clauses which have become complex with numerations, comparisons, explanations, principal and subordinate clause components are characterised by their division into constant syntagms.
In the sentence /War and danger might not befall for months to come /though war and danger were in store// [`w6: 5nd `de9nd=7 ma9t n6t b9`f6:l f6: m0n4s t7 k0m, 1ou `w6: 5nd `de9nd=7 w8: 9n st6:] (Müharibə və təhlükənin baş verməsi aylarla vaxt apara bilərdi, baxmayaraq ki, müharibə və təhlükə gözlənilirdi) the principal clause is used as a progredient syntagm, the subordinate clause acts as a terminal syntagm.Inside the compound whole the position of principal and subordinate clauses doesn't affect the realisation of intonation contour in them.In progredient syntagm melody is 281-187 hs, but in the terminal syntagm it is 216-187 hs.In the terminal syntagm average absolute value of tone frequency is 170 hs.In the initial syntagm avarege tone frequency is 225hs, while in the terminal one it is equal to 204 hs.(see Graph 2.1).
The English sentences /Even had he been able to make his lips move / the man would not have understood him// [`i:v7n h5d hi: bi:n e9bl t7 me9k his l9pz mu:v/17 m5n w-d n6t  [9f 3i: g6t n7-m0ni fr6m h8: `br017-9n-l6: / 3i: g6t w6:t w7z 5z g-d 5z m0ni-`kred9t] The results of the experiment reveal that in multi-syntagm complex constructions maximum acoustic indicators are registered in initial syntagms: 268 hs, 260 hs, 237 hs.However, in the analyzed sentences at the end of the initial syntagms melody indicators are higher than the beginning melody of the following syntagm, i.e., a negative interval is not registered in them.The results that we got coincide with the viewpoint of Aslanov, who has investigated intonation features of multi-syntagm sentences in Germanic and Azerbaijani.The author writes that "according to the analysis of the melodic and dynamic structures of multi-syntagm sentences, the acoustic indicators of initial syntagms are in maximum level, but the appropriate indicators of the final syntagm are in minimum level.The melodic and dynamic structure of the middle syntagm changes between the appropriate parameters of the first and last ones".(Aslanov, 2009).
In [1e9 w9l g7-/ `i:v7n 9f/`i:v7n 17-ju: pr7`h9b9t 1em t7] Melodic features of such two-syntagm sentences was also described by Scherba: "The last syllable of the first part is sure to be pronounced with rising tone, but the second part, in whole, is in the falling direction" (Scherba, 1974).The falling melody inside the syntagm informs about the completeness of the utterance.According to Zinder "... considerable falling at the end of the part informs us about either the syntagm's having independent meaning and syntactic unit, or shows that any compound sentence is completed."(Zinder, 1979).
The main feature of the sentences whose melodic parameters have been analysed is that in comparison with the terminal syntagms the initial (progredient) syntagms possess high indicators.Another general feature is that maximum tone frequency is used at the beginning of syntagms.

Conclusion
Experimental analysis of the materials of the compared English and Azerbaijani languages helps us to come to the following conclusions: While comparing the sentences from Modern English and Azerbaijani, which have been involved in the experiment, it becomes evident that intonation contour development of complex constructions (in which subordinate clause component is realised) in preposition doesn't strongly differ from those which are used in postposition.
Even the analysis of the acoustic indicators of three parameters (temporal, melody, dynamic parameters) show that in the analysed sentences, in comparison with the terminal syntagms, progredient syntagms are pronounced with higher melodicy.This fact proves that both in progredient and terminal syntagms the intonation of completeness is not realised.The cadence law which demands the weakening of acoustic parameters at the end of the syntagm is reflected in the investigated examples.
In the conclusion, while investigating intonation features composite complex sentences with concession clauses in both languages the followings have become evident: intonation has a certain autonomy, i.e., its emergence, realization doesn't depend on concrete lexical material and certain syntactic structure, and the place of the components of compound syntactic whole.Just the very autonomy of intonation gives a chance to the same intonation contour to appear in different syntactic constructions and sentence types.