INTONATION

Intonation refers to the way the voice goes up or down in pitch when we speak. Without intonation, it's impossible to understand the expression and thoughts that go with words

Intonation doesn't exist in isolation.So it makes sense to approach it together with 3 other factors: grammar, attitude, discourse

Many attempts have been made to show connections between intonation patterns and particular types of grammatical structures and the following list shows some of these:

+ Expecting confirmation: falling tune ↘

+ Showing less certainty: rising tune ↗

The level tune is neutral and uninterested.

The rising tune conveys an impression that something more is to follow

The falling tune is regarded as more or less neutral. It gives an impression of finality.

The rising- falling tune is used to convey strong feelings of approval or surprise

The falling-rising tune shows limitted agreement, response with reservation, uncertainty, or doubt

It is needed to be aware of intonation in the longer stretches of language. Here are some clearer guidelines given: "new" information = fall tune, "shared" information = fall -rise tune.

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