intonation Hear it!

intonation definition

in·to·na·tion (in′tō nā′s̸hən, -tə-)

noun

  1. the act of intoning
  2. the quality of singing or playing tones in or out of tune with regard to a given standard of pitch
    1. the opening words of a Gregorian chant
    2. the singing of these
  4. Linguis.
    1. the system of significant levels and variations in pitch sequences within an utterance
    2. the type of pitch used at the end of a spoken sentence or phrase to ask a question with a rising intonation

Etymology: ML intonatio

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.
Related Discussions (2)
TopicRepliesLatest Post
"Foreign" Languages, timbre, intonation72 months ago
inflection and intonation111 year ago

Browse Forums