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Intonation is the perceptive sensation basically caused by tonal variations, that is, the different combinations of tones (low, high, low and high) that appear throughout an oral utterance. Intonation plays a major role in the transmission of emotions, facilitating communication and understanding both in reading and in conversation. Proper modulation or correct intonation in speech attracts and holds the listener’s attention .
The key aspects of intonation in speech:
- A text can seek to spread feelings, emotions or moods such as joy, sorrow, pain, disgust, astonishment, irony, among others. When reading and varying the tones of voice, a reflection is achieved through the differentiation and measurement of the inflections of the voice; Of course, these in turn depend on the objective that you want to express.
- Speech is a verbal means of communication consisting of specific sounds (phonemes) for each language and for each situation.
- Language is a socially shared system for representing thoughts and ideas. Each language is unique, complex, and has specific components.
- A correct diction (pronunciation) and an adequate modulation of the voice make the text much more expressive and attractive to the reader.
musicality of speech
Intonation adds musicality to speech. The multiple aspects of intonation are progressively acquired, and the set of rhythmic and sound characteristics, depending on the situation, make it possible to differentiate, for example, a question from a statement.
Intonation is not an easy and quick linguistic phenomenon to acquire. It starts at an early age, but the ability to perceive intonation perfectly is effected even after the age of 20. So it is not surprising that it is one of the components that poses the most difficulties in learning the language. The intonation offers highly personal information, since it can indicate the mood and emotions. Indeed, intonation is a highly complex linguistic mechanism, which makes it a special component in language learning.
In declamation of a poem, intonation is very important, since poetry as a literary genre is often considered as a declaration towards the beauty and feelings produced by the expression of the word. Therefore, through the intonation of the poem seeks to deepen the message; Together with gestures, poetry leads us to express emotions through speech, where an intimate relationship between the message, gestures and their impact on the listener can be appreciated.
For many years it has been sought to explain the origins of communicative manifestations and the expression of feelings with the vocal and corporal aspect. In his book Essay on the Origin of Languages , the French thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau states:
«A language that only has articulations and voices, therefore has half its richness; It expresses ideas, it is true, but to express feelings, images, it needs a rhythm and sounds, that is, a melody. It is what the Greek language had and what ours lacks.
“Intonation is the melody or music of a language,” says British David Crystal, author of The Little Book of Language . Intonation refers to the way your voice rises and falls as you speak.
The types of intonation
Intonation has to do with the sense of perception induced by variations in the tone of the voice (different combinations of low and high tones, bass and treble) that appear throughout a statement.
One of the distinctive functions of intonation, according to various authors, resides in the descending or ascending movements of the fundamental frequency at the end of the statement.
- An affirmative statement ends with a descending fundamental frequency.
- A question statement ends with an ascending fundamental frequency.
A question always expects an answer, while a declarative statement does not, and therefore intonation allows us to distinguish between a declarative sentence and an interrogative one.
The British John Lyons, a specialist in semantics, understands that intonation can be considered as one of the paralinguistic elements. Thus, the intonation, together with the volume and speed of the voice, indicate the attitude of the speaker: doubtful, ironic, impatient, annoying, among others. Its importance is not only evident in colloquial communication situations, but can also be understood in more formal situations and in various contexts.
tone and fragmentation
To understand intonation, it’s important to understand two of its key terms: pitch and chunk. The Encyclopedia Britannica notes that pitch in language “refers to the high or low level of a voice pitch as perceived by the ear, which depends on the number of vibrations per second produced by the vocal cords.”
Everyone has different levels of tone in their voice, notes Study.com :
“Although some people are more prone to a higher pitch of voice and others to a lower pitch, we can all change it depending on who we’re talking to and what topic we’re talking about.”
Timbre refers to the quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or musical instrument from another, or one vocal sound from another: it is determined by the amount of harmonics that the sound has. Pitch, then, refers to the musicality of the voice and how that musicality or timbre is used to convey meaning.
On the other hand, the fragmentation in the speech consists of making pauses in some parts of the sentence to give information to the listener. The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) adds that speakers divide speech into parts, which can be individual words or groups of words to communicate a thought or idea, or to focus on information the speaker believes is important. The UTS gives the following example of fragmentation:
“Does it really matter if people speak with an accent as long as they can be easily understood?”
This sentence is divided into the following “fragments”, separated by slashes: “Does it really matter / if people speak with an accent / as long as they can be easily understood? “
In this example, in each fragment the tone would be slightly different to better convey its meaning to the listener. The voice essentially rises and falls on each sentence fragment.
In conclusion, intonation in speech is a key and fundamental component in oral communication. Thus, it is not only an aspect that adorns the language, but it is considered a skill when you want to send a certain message, and it is a complex phenomenon that can be perfected with didactic teaching methods.
Fountain
Courteous, Maximiano.2002. Didactics of Spanish prosody: accentuation and intonation . Madrid: Editorial Edinumen.
Crystal, David. 2010. The Little Book of Language . Yale University.
Rousseau, JJ. 2008. Essay on the origin of languages . National University of Cordoba.
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