Intonation, Speaking and Grammar
2020-07-10
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1Intonation is like the music of a language.
2Intonation means the changes that someone makes to the sound of their voice when speaking.
3The up and down movements in the voice can show meaning or emotion.
4These movements can also take the place of punctuation, such as commas or question marks.
5Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore the subject of intonation by using humor.
6We will show you how one comedian used intonation in ways that can teach you about American English and grammar.
7The term rising intonation means the upward movement of the voice, often at the end of a sentence.
8In general, Americans use rising intonation in what we call "yes/no questions" -- questions that ask for either a "yes" or "no" answer.
9In some cases, these "yes/no questions" use auxiliary verbs, such as can or do, as in this example:
10Do you know him?
11One important point: in everyday or casual speech, Americans sometimes drop off - or leave out - the auxiliary verb do, as in:
12D'you know him?
13You know him?
14Did you hear how the voice went up toward the end of the question?
15That is rising intonation.
16Let's listen to part of a performance by the American comedian Dave Chappelle.
17Note how he uses rising intonation at the end of his "yes/no questions."
18One quick note: Chappelle is mispronouncing the name of American actor Jussie Smollett on purpose.
19He refers to Smollett as "Juicy Somellier."*
20"Don't ever forget what happened to that French actor
21"You know who I'm talking about?
22Jussie Smollett"
23Note that Chappelle's voice rose after the second line - You know who I'm talking about? This is a "yes/no question" that left out the auxiliary verb do.
24The first line, a statement, has the opposite kind of intonation: falling intonation.
25"Don't ever forget what happened to that French actor"
26Let's listen to more from Chappelle's performance:
27Jussie Smollett - he's very French, a very famous French actor...
28Y'all never heard of Jussie Smollett?
29In this "yes/no question," Chappelle turns a statement into a question by changing the intonation of his voice.
30He also uses the informal structure y'all - which means "you all."
31Here is Chappelle's question:
32Y'all never heard of Jussie Smollett?
33This is how Chappelle's words would sound if they were presented as a statement:
34You have never heard of Jussie Smollett.
35You might be asking yourself about other kinds of questions: for example, questions that are not "yes/no questions."
36Such questions often have interrogatives - words such as what, why, when, or how.
37Questions with interrogative words generally have falling intonation - the opposite of "yes/no questions."
38So, for example, if a person asked about who Dave Chappelle was making fun of, their question might sound like this:
39Who is Jussie Smollett?
40Or they might ask:
41What is Dave Chappelle talking about?
42The main idea of this story is that intonation plays an important role in showing meaning.
43The next time you are listening to the news or watching a comedy show, ask yourself how the speaker is using intonation.
44Note the different kinds of intonation you hear - rising or falling.
45Over time, you will begin to use intonation to show differences in meaning between statements, "yes/no questions," and other kinds of questions.
46I'm John Russell.
1Intonation is like the music of a language. 2Intonation means the changes that someone makes to the sound of their voice when speaking. 3The up and down movements in the voice can show meaning or emotion. These movements can also take the place of punctuation, such as commas or question marks. 4Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore the subject of intonation by using humor. We will show you how one comedian used intonation in ways that can teach you about American English and grammar. 5Rising intonation 6The term rising intonation means the upward movement of the voice, often at the end of a sentence. In general, Americans use rising intonation in what we call "yes/no questions" -- questions that ask for either a "yes" or "no" answer. In some cases, these "yes/no questions" use auxiliary verbs, such as can or do, as in this example: 7Do you know him? 8One important point: in everyday or casual speech, Americans sometimes drop off - or leave out - the auxiliary verb do, as in: 9D'you know him? 10You know him? 11Did you hear how the voice went up toward the end of the question? 12That is rising intonation. 13Let's listen to part of a performance by the American comedian Dave Chappelle. Note how he uses rising intonation at the end of his "yes/no questions." One quick note: Chappelle is mispronouncing the name of American actor Jussie Smollett on purpose. He refers to Smollett as "Juicy Somellier."* 14"Don't ever forget what happened to that French actor 15"You know who I'm talking about? 16Jussie Smollett" 17Note that Chappelle's voice rose after the second line - You know who I'm talking about? This is a "yes/no question" that left out the auxiliary verb do. 18The first line, a statement, has the opposite kind of intonation: falling intonation. 19"Don't ever forget what happened to that French actor" 20Let's listen to more from Chappelle's performance: 21Jussie Smollett - he's very French, a very famous French actor... 22Y'all never heard of Jussie Smollett? 23In this "yes/no question," Chappelle turns a statement into a question by changing the intonation of his voice. He also uses the informal structure y'all - which means "you all." 24Here is Chappelle's question: 25Y'all never heard of Jussie Smollett? 26This is how Chappelle's words would sound if they were presented as a statement: 27You have never heard of Jussie Smollett. 28Questions that are not Yes/No questions 29You might be asking yourself about other kinds of questions: for example, questions that are not "yes/no questions." 30Such questions often have interrogatives - words such as what, why, when, or how. 31Questions with interrogative words generally have falling intonation - the opposite of "yes/no questions." 32So, for example, if a person asked about who Dave Chappelle was making fun of, their question might sound like this: 33Who is Jussie Smollett? 34Or they might ask: 35What is Dave Chappelle talking about? 36Closing thoughts 37The main idea of this story is that intonation plays an important role in showing meaning. 38The next time you are listening to the news or watching a comedy show, ask yourself how the speaker is using intonation. Note the different kinds of intonation you hear - rising or falling. 39Over time, you will begin to use intonation to show differences in meaning between statements, "yes/no questions," and other kinds of questions. 40I'm John Russell. 41John Russell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 42*This is a rough estimate of the name that Chappelle pronounced. It is not an exact spelling. 43_____________________________________________________________ 44Words in This Story 45punctuation - n. the marks in a piece of writing that make its meaning clear and that separate it into sentences or clauses 46comedian - n. a person who makes people laugh by telling jokes or funny stories or by acting in a way that is funny 47auxiliary verb - n. a verb used with another verb to how the verb's tense or to form a question 48mispronounce - v. to say or state (a word or name) incorrectly 49refer - v. to direct attention to; to describe 50informal - adj. casual; unceremonious 51interrogative - n. a word used in questions 52role - n. an actor's part in a play or movie; a position or job