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intonation |
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intonationIn phonetics, the melodic pattern of an utterance. Intonation is primarily a matter of variation in the pitch level of the voice (see tone), but in languages such as English, stress and rhythm are also involved. Intonation conveys differences of expressive meaning (e.g., surprise, doubtfulness). In many languages, including English, intonation serves a grammatical function, distinguishing one type of phrase or sentence from another. Thus, “it's gone” is an assertion when spoken with a drop in pitch at the end, but a question when spoken with a rise in pitch at the end. intonation 1. Music the opening of a piece of plainsong, sung by a soloist 2. Music a. the correct or accurate pitching of intervals b. the capacity to play or sing in tune How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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