INTONATIONAL PATTERNS OF THE SPEECH ACT TYPES IN SURA AL-GHASHIYAH: AN AUTOSEGMENTAL-METRICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

This study investigates the pragmatic function of intonational variations used in the Glorious Qur'an; namely, sura Al-ghashiyah. It aims to reveal and discuss the intonational patterns of different illocutionary forces in sura Al-ghashiyah. This study is significant research as it investigates the intonational variations of the speech acts types used in Glorious Qur’an particularly in sura Al-ghashiyah based on the autosegmental-metrical phonology (AM) model of Pierrehumbert (1980). This study adopts the autosegmental-metrical phonology model of Pierrehumbert (1980). The study fills the gap in literature as it analyses the data using Tones and Break Indices (TOBI) system, which is considered as the most common way of transcribing the intonation in (AM) model (Goldsmith & Hirschberg, 1992:2). The findings of the study revealed that intonation plays an important role and is responsible for changing the interpretation of the verse by its structure into another one which the speaker intends to convey. It is hoped that this study will provide a deeper understanding of the intended meaning of the verses, which can clarify the interpretation of the verses in sura Al-ghashiyah.