Ways to improve your intonation
What is intonation? Intonation and stress are closely linked. In fact it's impossible to dissociate them. They go hand in hand. Intonation is about how we say things, rather than what we say, the way the voice rises and falls when speaking, in other words the music of the language. Just as words have stressed syllables, sentences have regular patterns of stressed words. In addition, the voice tends to rise, fall or remain flat depending on the meaning or feeling we want to convey (surprise, anger, interest, boredom, gratitude, etc.). Intonation therefore indicates the mood of the speaker. There are two basic patterns of intonation in English: falling intonation and rising intonation. In the following examples a downward arrow (➘) indicates a fall in intonation and an upward arrow (➚) indicates a rise in intonation. Types of intonation in phonetic materials for ESL learners are often named and described according to types of sentences in which this or that intonation is used. For example: intonation of statements; intonation of Yes-No questions; intonation of items in a series; intonation of direct address. This is a simple and practical way of describing English intonation – you easily memorize where this or that intonation is used while listening to audio samples. Types of intonation are also named and described using the terms "falling intonation, rising intonation, high-rising intonation", and the like. The tones are named in a similar way: falling tone, or fall; rising tone, or rise; fall-rise; high rise. The names of different types of intonation and tones may differ in phonetic materials. In our materials on this site, the terms "falling tone, or fall; rising tone, or rise" are used to denote normal unemphatic falling and rising tones; the terms "high fall, high rise, low fall" denote certain emphatic tones. Note that in our materials we describe American English intonation, which is generally characterized by strong rhythmical stresses, by mid-level beginning, and by relatively even mid-level continuation until the final fall or rise. Functions of intonation and tones Intonation is the melody of the sentence. Intonation is created by changes in the pitch of the voice (the voice goes higher and lower; remains on the same level; rises or falls), by sentence stress (strong stress on important words; weak stress or no stress on less important words), and by rhythm (stressed syllables occur at more or less equal intervals). The most important functions of intonation are to distinguish types of sentences (statements, questions, commands, requests) and to divide sentences into sense groups. Also, intonation allows speakers to express various emotions. The tone (rise, fall, etc.) is the most significant pitch change that takes place at the end of sense groups and at the end of the sentence. The terminal tone at the end of the sentence is the most important means for determining the type of sentence (statement, question, command, request). (Some other terms related to intonation and tones are described in Introduction and Glossary of Terms in the section Phonetics.) Intonation and sentence types Syntactically, sentences are divided into four types: declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory. (See Basic Word Order in the section Grammar.) Intonation distinguishes types of sentences according to intonation and tones in them. For example, commands are pronounced with falling intonation, and requests are pronounced with rising intonation: Sit \down. Sit \down, /please. But both of these sentences are imperative sentences. Intonation and tones can change types and meanings of sentences. For example: He is a \doctor. (a statement); He is a /doctor? (an echo question); You can drive a \car, \can't you? (The speaker is almost sure that you can drive a car.) You can drive a \car, /can't you? (The speaker is not sure that you can drive a car.) Normal speech range Normally, all commonly used types of English intonation and tones are pronounced within the normal speaking range in ordinary speech. Our voices have the ability to pronounce a wide range of sounds, from very low sounds (for example, like grumbling or growling) to very high sounds (for example, like squeaking or squealing). Naturally, we do not normally use grumbling, growling, squeaking, or squealing in our ordinary normal speech. When we speak, we use our normal speaking range, not our total voice range. Everyone knows his or her normal speech range – the range in which we can speak normally (loudly, softly, quickly, slowly), without straining our voices too much. And everyone knows how low or how high this or that falling or rising tone is usually pronounced in his native language. But the tones of English are not the same as the tones in our native language, and if we want to understand and use them correctly, we need to study them. Unemphatic intonation and unemphatic tones Normal unemphatic intonation is used in speech by the majority of people for communication with other people in formal and informal situations of everyday life. Most of our feelings and emotions can be expressed using unnemphatic intonation. All types of sentences can be pronounced with normal unemphatic intonation. Two main types of unemphatic intonation – falling intonation and rising intonation – are described in Falling Intonation and Rising Intonation in the section Phonetics. Usually, unemphatic falling intonation ends in an unemphatic falling tone, and unemphatic rising intonation ends in an unemphatic rising tone. Emphatic intonation expresses strong emotions and intensifies the meaning of a sentence. Emphatic intonation often uses a wider range, in which the voice may go much higher or lower than in normal intonation. Some emphatic tones, for example, the high rise and the low fall, may occasionally go beyond (above or below) the boundaries of the normal speaking range. We recommend that learners of English should use mostly unemphatic falling and rising intonation and unemphatic falling and rising tones. Emphatic intonation and tones express various (numerous) nuances of attitude, which are always difficult for language learners to master, and that, in turn, often leads to incorrect use. Pitch level and range Pitch level (mid, high, low) and range (normal, wide, narrow) are important characteristics of intonation and tones. The voice does not jump up and down while pronouncing sentences, and the voice does not rise high or fall low without reason. Each tone has its own pitch levels on which it begins and ends. Each tone has its own range, that is, the span (pitch span, pitch interval) between the beginning of a tone and its end. Very high or very low pitch levels together with the ranges that are much wider or much narrower than normal indicate the presence of some strong (positive or negative) emotions. (For example, very high pitch usually indicates nervousness and excitedness.) It is important to stress that very high or very low pitch level and widened or narrowed range do not specify what kind of strong emotion is expressed. It all depends on the situation, on the context, and on some other factors, such as the choice of words, tone and loudness of your voice, tempo of speech, expression on your face, etc. Language learners rarely need to express strong feelings in their speech (and should avoid expressing them, if possible). But it is necessary to understand various emotions in the speech of other people. Note: Differences in pitch level The interval between the highest-pitch syllable and the lowest-pitch syllable of a sentence (i.e., the range) is wider in British English than in American English. For example, sentences pronounced with normal unemphatic American English intonation are usually pronounced in the middle part (on mid pitch level) of the normal speaking range; the falling tone at the end of the sentence goes down from mid to low, and the rising tone goes up from mid to high. Women generally use higher pitch levels and change pitch more often than men. Higher pitch level and change of pitch are frequent in Russian speech, and if you speak English with Russian intonation, your emotions and even the meaning of your utterance may be misunderstood. Tones in sense groups When we speak, we divide sentences into sense groups (thought groups), that is, groups of logically connected words. Short simple sentences usually contain only one sense group; long sentences usually contain several sense groups. For example, the sentence "Anton lives in Rome." contains one sense group "Anton lives in Rome". The sentence "When Anton lived in London, he worked at a bank." contains two sense groups: the nonfinal sense group "When Anton lived in London" and the final sense group "he worked at a bank". The final sense group is the main sense group of the sentence; its intonation and tone determine the type of sentence. The final sense group usually stands at the end of the sentence. The nonfinal sense group usually stands at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence. If the sentence contains only one sense group, usually only one tone is used in it at the end of the sentence, for example, the falling tone in statements (Anton lives in \Rome.) or the rising tone in general questions (Does Anton live in /Rome?). Sequence of tones Four main combinations of tones (rise+fall; fall+fall; rise+rise; fall+rise) are used in sentences containing two sense groups – that is, two tones if there are two sense groups in the sentence, and more tones if there are more sense groups. On the whole, the sequence of tones in sentences containing two sense groups follows certain general principles. The final tone (terminal tone) in the final sense group at the end of the sentence is determined by the type of sentence. For example, the falling tone is generally used in statements and special questions; the rising tone is generally used in general questions and requests. The choice of the tone in the nonfinal sense group (at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence) is usually determined by such factors as the importance of this sense group in the sentence, its completeness, and the degree of its connection with the final sense group. If the nonfinal sense group is closely connected in meaning with the final sense group and cannot be used without the final sense group, the rising tone is generally used in the nonfinal sense group. The sequence of tones "rise+fall" is quite common in sentences containing two sense groups. For example: When Anton lived in /London, he worked at a \bank. If the nonfinal sense group is more or less independent from the final sense group and can be used by itself, the falling tone is generally used in the nonfinal sense group. For example: You can go \home – we don't have any more \classes. Examples of the sequence of tones Rise + fall: If he doesn't /find it, he'll be in \trouble. I will go for a /walk after I finish my \work. She bought /bread, /butter, and \cheese. /Mike, this is \Peter. Would you like /tea or \coffee? Fall + fall: Their house is \large, but they are not \rich. This is Alan \Brown, a \friend of mine. I think I saw your cell phone in the \kitchen, on the \windowsill. It's a great \film, \isn't it? Rise + rise: If she /calls, will you /ask her? Did he go /back and /tell her about it? /Lena, can you /help me? Fall + rise: It's a great \film, /isn't it? We can have lunch \now, if you /like. Note: Nonfinal sense group at the end of the sentence Nonfinal sense group may stand at the end of the sentence, for example, as in the last example above: We can have lunch \now, if you /like. Though the nonfinal sense group "if you like" stands at the end here, it does not determine the type of this sentence. The author's words at the end of the sentence usually do not have any intonation of their own if they are represented by the words "he said; she said; said the man", and the like. But if the author's words are important or if their group is large enough, they may form a nonfinal sense group pronounced with the low fall (or with the low rise). For example: "My car was \stolen yesterday," said the young man \gloomily. Description of tones How to study tones The best way to study English tones is by listening to phonetic samples for ESL learners, using text transcripts of audio recordings for marking intonation, tones, sense groups, pauses and sentence stress, and repeating the audio samples after the speaker. It is also helpful to study descriptions of the main tones in order to know where the tones begin, in what direction they go, where they end, and what pitch range they cover. It is convenient to study the tones by comparing them with the two principal tones: the falling tone and the rising tone. Normal unemphatic falling and rising tones begin at mid level. The falling tone goes down and ends near the bottom of the normal speaking range. The rising tone goes up, but not too high, and it never reaches the upper boundary of the normal speaking range. You can listen to the falling and rising tones in the audio materials Listening for Falling and Rising Intonation (AmE) and Listening for Intonation in Questions and Answers (AmE) in the section Phonetics. You can listen to the high fall and the fall-rise in the audio material Listening for Intonation: Fire and Ice by Robert Frost in the section Phonetics. Emphatic tones (high fall, high rise) are described here for understanding, and not for active use. Low fall may be emphatic or unemphatic depending on the situation. (See "Low fall" below.) Falling tone The falling tone is used at the end of statements (It's \nice.), special questions (What \happened?), commands (\Call him.), exclamatory sentences (How \nice!), in the first part of tag questions (He \works, \doesn't he?), and in the last part of alternative questions (Do you /study or \work?). The falling tone expresses finality, completeness, confidence. The falling tone begins on the last stressed syllable of the sentence and goes down (much deeper than in Russian), ending near the bottom of the normal speaking range. The fall takes place within the last stressed syllable: Tom is my \friend. If there are unstressed syllables after the final stressed syllable, they are pronounced on the same low level where the fall ends: Tom is a \journalist. In many cases you can use the normal falling tone instead of the high fall and low fall. Rising tone The rising tone is used at the end of general questions (Is she /here?), in requests (Could you /help me?), at the end of introductory phrases beginning the sentence (As /usual, he was \late.), in the first part of alternative questions (Is it /short or \long?), in the second part of tag questions (Nice \weather, /isn't it?), in direct address (/Mike, where \are you?), and in enumerations (I bought /milk, /cheese, and \fruit.). Depending on the context, the rising tone may express interest, politeness, surprise, doubt, incompleteness, and so on. The rising tone begins on the last stressed syllable of the sentence and first goes down just a little and then continues going up. The English rising tone does not go up as high as the Russian rising tone does. If the sentence ends on the last stressed syllable, the rise takes place within the last stressed syllable: Do you have a /pen? If there are unstressed syllables after the final stressed syllable, the rise goes down a little on the stressed syllable and then continues going up on the unstressed syllables: Do you have a /pencil? In many cases you can use the normal rising tone instead of the fall-rise, high rise, mid-level rise, low rise. Fall-rise The fall-rise may be used instead of the rising tone in various cases, for example in introductory phrases and in subordinate clauses at the beginning of the sentence. Examples: If you don't hurry \ /up, you'll be \late. Despite her \ /warning, he opened the \door. The fall-rise expresses nonfinality, signals continuation of the utterance, emphasizes the word on which it is used, and may express polite warning, suggestion, correction, contrast, and so on. The voice falls down and goes up within one word. High fall The high fall is an emphatic variation of the falling tone. It may be used in informal situations to show lively interest and friendliness, usually in exclamatory sentences. Examples: OH \HI! How \NICE! What a sur\PRISE! The high fall begins much higher than the falling tone and goes down into the lower part of the normal speaking range, but not always as low as the falling tone. The stressed syllable on which the high fall takes place is pronounced more loudly, and the stress on it is stronger. Though this tone is rather common in everyday speech, language learners should use it with caution and not too often because it is emphatic and rather expressive and, depending on the situation, may express various strong feelings ranging from admiration and delight to disgust and horror. Low fall Lowering the pitch into the lower part of the normal speaking range and using the low fall as the final tone in the sentence may indicate, depending on the situation, such feelings as disappointment, sadness, hopelessness, sympathy, sincerity, responsibility, fear, threat. When strong emotions are expressed, the low fall may be emphatic. The low fall begins much lower than the falling tone, and the speaker usually pronounces the words less loudly, in a soft voice, and sometimes even close to whisper. The unemphatic low fall may be used at the end of the sentence in a group of words added as an afterthought after the final fall, or in the author's words at the end of the sentence (if they are important). For example: I think I saw your cell phone in the \kitchen, on the \windowsill. "\Stop it!" a woman's voice behind them said \angrily. If the speaker wants to mark the end of his whole utterance (after he has been speaking for some time), the whole final sentence may be pronounced on a lower level with low-falling intonation and with the low fall at the end. High rise The high rise is an emphatic rising tone that may be used for expressing strong surprise or disbelief, mostly in surprised echo questions. Examples: /What? You lost my /money? The high rise begins higher than the normal rising tone, goes into the higher part of the normal speaking range, and ends much higher than the normal rising tone. Depending on the emotion expressed, the high rise may even go beyond the upper boundary of the normal speaking range. Depending on the situation, the high rise may also indicate astonishment, indignation, anger, and so on. Because the high rise is emphatic, very expressive and may indicate various emotions, it is advisable for language learners to limit the use of this tone in speech. Mid-level rise The mid-level rise is used mostly in informal American speech, for example, in direct address, in introductory phrases, in subordinate clauses at the beginning of the sentence. The mid-level rise begins at mid level (or a little higher) and immediately goes up (not too high) – without first going down a little as the ordinary rising tone does. Example: Mrs. /Smith, this is \Annie, my \niece. Low rise The low rise may be used in a group of words added (as direct address, as a suggestion, for politeness, etc.) at the end of the sentence after the final fall. The low rise begins and ends lower than the ordinary rising tone. The low rise generally signals the speaker's polite interest and his readiness to continue the conversation. Examples: Good to \see you, /Alan. You can stay \here, if you /like.
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Ways to improve your intonation
The best way to improve your intonation is simply to become more aware of it. By listening carefully to a recorded conversation (YouTube is a good place to start), you will begin noticing how other speakers use intonation to express themselves.
Another idea is to record your own voice. These days, even the simplest mobile phones are equipped with a voice recorder. It is always fascinating (though sometimes unbearable) to listen to one's own voice because it sounds so different to what we expect! Try recording a dialogue with a friend, (you could use a script from a course book or scene from a film). Now listen to your intonation. Does it sound natural? Does it express your attitude in the way you hoped?
With a recording, you can always rewind, listen again and try a new version. Recordings are an excellent way to keep track of your progress. They clearly show how you have improved over time.
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