Intonation let’s consider the following example first

Pitch movement in the tail

• tonic syllable: where pitch movement begins
• tail: syllables after the tonic syllable
• -my \hampster likes Britney Spears
• -my /hampster likes Britney Spears
• -my vhampster likes Britney Spears

Complex tones and pitch height

• Each of these tones may express particular attitudes:
• Fall: neutral statement
• Rise: neutral question, doubt
• Fall-Rise: scepticism
• Rise-Fall: emphatic statement
• Level: boredom, disinterest
• In ordinary speech intonation tends to take place within the lower part of the speaker´s pitch range. Only with strong feelings we use extra pitch height.

Fall: neutral statement, conclusion

• E.g. Have you seen Ann?
• Yes. (Falling intonation indicates
• ‘I have answered your question and do not intend to add anything else’)

Rise: questioning, doubt, desire to continue conversation

• E.g. Have you seen Ann lately?
• Yes… (Rising intonation indicates ‘I want to continue the conversation, I am curious’)

Rise-Fall: emphatic statement, irritation, command

• Do I really have to clean my room?
• Yes!

Fall-Rise: surprise, scepticism

• Ann and Peter were on good terms at the party?
• Yes!

Level: boredom, lack of interest

• Can you remember Peter Jackson, the cost consultant for our company in Taiwan? The other day in the office I invited him for dinner, he’ll be coming tomorrow.
• Yes.

We shall begin by considering the fall: here is a tone unit solely composed of a tonic syllable

Things become more complicated when we add syllables