Intonation
/ˌɪn.təˈneɪ.ʃən/noun
The rise and fall of the voice in speaking or singing, or the way a note is played or sung in tune.
Did you know?Intonation comes from Latin tonus, “tone” or “stretching,” ultimately tied to the ancient idea of tension in sound—proof that speech was once understood as something physically pulled into shape.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“to stretch, pull tight”
Latin
Latin
tonus
“tone, accent, sound; also tension”
Late Latin
Latin
intonare
“to sound into, utter with tone”
Old French
Old French
intonacion
“act of giving voice, chanting; modulation of the voice”
Middle English
English
intonacioun
“modulation of the voice in speech or song”
Modern English
English
intonation
“the pattern of pitch changes in speech or music”