Presentation of Phonetics and Phonology
Topic: Intonation
Presented to
Ma’am Asma Saeed
Presented by
Hasnain Zulfiqar
Intonation
Intonation is about how we say things, rather than what we say.
Without intonation, its impossible to understand the expressions
and thoughts that go with words.
Listen to somebody speaking without paying attention to the
words: the melody you hear is the intonation.
Key components of intonation
Intonation is based on several key components :
 Pitch
(Pitch is the degree of height of our voice in speech)
 Sentence
stress (Sentence stress makes the utterance understandable to
the listener by making the important words in the sentence stressed, clear and
higher in pitch and by shortening and obscuring the unstressed words)
 Rhythm
(Sentence stress provides rhythm in connected speech)
Patterns of intonation
 Rise
 Fall
 Partial
fall
Rising intonation
1.
To express surprise
2.
Need clarification
Rising intonation describes how the voice rises at the end of a sentence.
Rising intonation is common in yes-no questions:
Example

Your dog speaks English?

Who got a dog?

Have you seen my phone?
Falling intonation
 To
complete a thought
Falling intonation describes how the voice falls on the final stressed syllable
of a phrase or a group of words. A falling intonation is very common in whquestions.
Example

I got a Dog.

how are you?

Why are you sad?
Partial intonation
 Unfinished
Describes how voice rises then falls. People use this intonation when
they are not sure, or they have more to add to a sentence. We also use
this intonation pattern to ask questions, as it sounds more polite.
Example
my dog is smart, pretty and sweet.
I want a dog But…..
Conclusion
Intonation or the pitch pattern of your voice is important in
spoken English because it conveys meaning in many
ways. In this episode we have learnt about intonation, stress
and rhythm patterns and how their correct use is vital for
speaking English naturally and fluently.