| Summary: | This paper proposes to study Tonicity (the placing of tonic syllable) in a
spontaneous dialogue in Javanese Ngoko. Ngoko is one of the three speech levels
in Javanese, viz. Krama (formal, honorific), Madya (mid) and Ngoko, the lowest
level (Poedjosoedarmo 1979). Javanese is a regional language of Indonesia.
In the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics, Halliday (1994) classifies
Tonicity as one of the systems in Intonation. Tonicity identifies an obligatory
element in the information unit, i.e. New element. It is New because it is not
recoverable from the context. In identifying Tonicity, Halliday (1970) claims that
although it is usually congruent with the most salient syllable, the most important
property of it is the major range of pitch when compared to the surrounding
syllables within a tone group.
By using the recorded spontaneous dialogue in Javanese Ngoko, we
examine Tonicity in the intonation. PRAAT analysis is used to look at the pitch
movement by observing the fundamental frequency (F0). Segmentation of
syllables in PRAAT text grid allows us to read carefully the range of pitch for all
syllables. This grounds the claim of Tonicity in a tone group along with the
reading of its context. Intensity, characterizing whether one syllable is more
salient than another, is observed to find out if the tonic syllable is always the most
salient one. Duration is also observed to add the phonetic value of the tonic
syllable.
It is significant to notice that in terms of intonation, Systemic
Functionalists look at it as the integral part of the grammar. Hence, trinocular
vision (from above, roundabout and below) is maintained. From above, the
intonation is the realization of information structure in the lexicogrammar stratum.
From roundabout within the phonology stratum, there is choice of placing tonic
syllable and of tone. From below, the phonetic evidence supports the choice. The
discussion in the paper, then, is limited on the acoustic phonetic evidence of
placing the tonic syllable.
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