Articles and Emphasis

In English, the variable positions, heights and flows in the articles are not used to express gender as in Latin languages, for example, but rather to vary the level of emphasis applied to the articles the and a.
The more emphatic of the two positions is the high falling article with the weak low article rising only slightly to meet the noun.
When we study the flow of the pronunciation, it becomes clear how logical this is.
To reach the high position, we need to abandon the soft linear projection of the phrase, causing a marking of the article with emphasis - a veritable dynamic exclamation mark.

As shown in the illustration, the weak articles flow naturally to meet the nouns, which are themselves conveniently produced in a highish frontal area of the mouth. On the other hand, the emphasized article does not flow into the noun and we use so much emphasis on the article that the noun is produced as a much weaker released sound.

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