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Learn to Speak German Online:
German Grammar Guidebook

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Intonation Patterns

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In non-contrastive contexts, the adverbs or noun objects, nicht and the infinitive or participle are clustered at the end bracket (E.B.) position.

NON-CONTRASTIVE CONTEXTS
 

INTRO SLOT E.B.
  F.B. Adverb nicht Past Part.
Aber Sie haben wahrscheinlich nicht viel geschlafen.
But you probably didn't sleep much.
 
INTRO SLOT E.B.
  F.B. Objects Adverb
Ich habe Essig und Dill zu Hause.
I have vinegar and dill at home.
 
INTRO SLOT E.B.
  F.B. Object
Ich mag keine Kartoffeln.
I don't like potatoes.

In contrastive intonation, one item from the End Bracket cluster is put in the introductory slot preceding the Front Bracket.

CONTRASTIVE CONTEXTS

Direct Object Contrasted


 

And potatoes I don't like anyway.
(The other things I do like.)

Note: Germans use nicht rather than a form of kein to negate noun objects when they are transferred to the introductory slot.


 

Vinegar, sour cream and dill I've already got at home.
(It's a cucumber I need.)

Participle Contrasted


 

But sleep is probably something you didn't do.
(Considering the fact of jet lag.)

Even if you do not use contrastive intonation yourself, learning to listen for these contrastive intonation can help you become a "fluent listener" of German. Contrastive intonation sets up an expectation that the word order is going to be markedly different, that items that "belong" at the end of an utterance will appear at the beginning.