Intonation means the way the pitch of your voice rises and falls when you speak, creating a kind of “melody” in your speech. It helps show emotions and attitudes, and can even change a statement into a question or alter the meaning of a sentence without changing the words.
In everyday speech
- Intonation is the pattern of voice pitch across a whole sentence or phrase, not just a single sound.
- It is used to show feelings (like surprise, anger, or interest) and to signal whether you are asking a question, making a statement, or continuing an idea.
Other uses of the word
- In music, intonation can also mean how accurately a singer or instrument plays notes in tune (whether notes are too “flat” or “sharp”).
- More generally, it can refer to a person’s characteristic manner of speaking or chanting, including the specific rise and fall of their voice.
