In one line
Intonation is the rise and fall of the pitch of the voice across a sentence, which signals the type of sentence and the speaker's attitude.
Explained simply
Say 'Really.' with your voice going down; you sound sure or bored. Say 'Really?' going up; you sound surprised. The words are identical; the tune changed the meaning. Intonation is the tune of speech.
Technically, intonation is the pattern of pitch movement in connected speech. The main tones are the falling tone, the rising tone and the fall-rise. Tonal variations or inflections also express emotions such as surprise, sarcasm, enthusiasm or doubt.
How it works
| Tone | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Falling (↘) | Statements, commands, wh-questions, certainty | 'I live in Pune.' 'Close the door.' 'Where do you study?' |
| Rising (↗) | Yes/no questions, doubt, polite requests, items in a list (except the last) | 'Are you ready?' 'Could you help me?' 'Red, green, and blue.' |
| Fall-rise (↘↗) | Hesitation, partial agreement, reservation, an unfinished thought | 'Well, the plan is good...' (implying 'but') |
- Identify the sentence type and the attitude you want to show.
- Place the main pitch movement on the most important word (the nucleus).
- Practise with recordings and mark arrows above sentences.
Quick example
A manager reviews a design and says 'It's fine.' With a clear fall, it means approval. With a fall-rise ('It's fi↘↗ne...'), it means 'fine, but I have doubts'. A good listener catches this. Similarly, in an interview, answering every question with a rising tone makes the candidate sound unsure.
Common mistakes
- Using a rising tone on wh-questions in formal speech; they normally fall.
- Speaking in a monotone, which makes even good content sound dull.
- Confusing intonation (pitch over a sentence) with word stress (one syllable in a word).
How MU asks it
Asked as a short note on intonation (3 marks) or within the pronunciation question (5 to 6 marks); in lab, students read sentences with correct tones. Define intonation, explain the three tones with uses and examples (a table is ideal), and show one sentence whose meaning changes with tone.