Intonation in English Pronunciation
INTONATIONWhat is intonation?
Intonation and stress are closely linked. In fact it’s impossible to dissociate them. They go hand in hand.
Intonation is about how we say things, rather than what we say, the way the voice rises and falls when speaking, in other words the music of the language.
Just as words have stressed syllables, sentences have regular patterns of stressed words. In addition, the voice tends to rise, fall or remain flat depending on the meaning or feeling we want to convey (surprise, anger, interest, boredom, gratitude, etc.). Intonation therefore indicates the mood of the speaker.
There are two basic patterns of intonation in English: falling intonation and rising intonation.
In the following examples a downward arrow (➘) indicates a fall in intonation and an upward arrow (➚) indicates a rise in intonation.
Again, these are not rules but patterns generally used by native speakers of English.
Just remember that content words are stressed, and intonation adds attitude or emotion.
This explanation on intonation is intended to serve as a general guide to help learners.
It should in no way make them unnecessarily anxious!
It should be remembered that a written explanation can never be a substitute for a ‘live’ conversation with a native speaker.
Attitudinal intonation is something that is best acquired through talking and listening to English speakers.
PRONUNCIATION 