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Is it true that the べつに when used to mean "nothing particularly" is pronounced
differently from when it is used to mean "separately / apart" ?

Like am I right to say that these 3 examples belong to the same "sound":

  1. たまに朝飯を抜いたって別に悪いことじゃない。

  2. 「何を考えてるの？」「別に・・・」

  3. べつにいがみあっている敵同士ではあるまいし。

and these other 3 belong to a different "sound":

  1. ニンジンは別にして、彼が食べないものはない。

  2. ソースを別にください。

  3. 別にサービス料を申し受けます。

Also I was wondering whether this sentence _私は別に怪しい者ではありません。_ will belong to
the first category or the second one?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-08-04T14:35:42.100
2437
2012-02-17T04:43:31.333
2012-02-17T04:43:31.333
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question
pronunciation pitch-accent
Is it true that the べつに when used to mean "nothing particularly" is pronounced differently from when it is used to mean "separately / apart"?
The difference does not appear on `別に`, but appears on the part following it.
In the first usage ('nothing particularly'), the word following `別に` maintains
its own accent nucleus, so the tone lowers at the beginning:

> **Capital = High tone, Lower case = Low tone**  
>  
>  beTSUNI waRUi koto  
>  beTSUNI _[end of accent nucleus]_  
>  beTSUNI iGAMIATte iru

In the second usage ('separately/apart'), `別に` is accently compounded with the
part that follows (the accent nucleus is removed from the following part), so
the high tone sustains into the word following:

> beTSUNI SHITE  
>  beTSUNI KUDASAi  
>  beTSUNI SAABISUryoo o

`私は別に怪しい者ではありません。` belongs to the first category:

> beTSUNI aYASHII MONO de wa

This can be explained by the fact that in the first usage ('nothing
particularly'), `別に` is a sentence modifier, so its bonding with the following
word is weak. In the second usage ('separately/apart'), `別に` is either part of
a predicate or is a verb-phrase modifier, so its bonding with the following
word is strong.
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2011-08-04T14:53:41.897
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2011-08-05T03:09:25.480
2011-08-05T03:09:25.480
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answer
I think pronunciation is the same. But emphasis / intonation for #2 could be
different, depending on the situation. Another example that might illustrate
it better is

「怒っているの？」「べつに。。。」

Where the second person really is upset, even though he is responding with
'not particularly'. In which case this person may respond with added emphasis
as if they are offended they would be asked such a question.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-08-04T16:49:40.910
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2011-08-05T00:38:44.987
2011-08-05T00:38:44.987
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answer