Keyword: «prosody»

. In this article is reported that prosody of children with disabilities is characterized by considerable under-development. The most difficult impairment of prosody is observed in case of general underdevelopment of speech. Children who have different speech pathology have similar impairment of prosody: pace, rhythm, tone of speech, pauses. However there are individual features. Suggested programme of studying prosody of children who have general underdevelopment of speech can be used for its determination.

The article deals with modern ideas about prosody in the perspective of different scientific positions. The main components of the prosodic side of speech are identified and revealed. The meaning of prosody in the communicative act is determined.