Pitch, often referred to as 'highness' or 'lowness,' plays a crucial role in verbal communication, giving subtle meaning to sentences. This use of pitch is known as intonation, though the terms are frequently used interchangeably.
'4-pitch' is the highest level of pitch and is used when the speaker wants to emphasize something, make a contrast, or show strong feelings.
'3-pitch' is the usual level of the primary word of a thought group, and is most commonly the highest pitch of a thought group.
'2-pitch' is the neutral pitch, and often used at the beginning of a thought
'1-pitch' is the pitch a speaker often falls to at the end of a thought.
Pitch is the rise and fall of our voice when we speak, sometimes called "highness" or "lowness." We use pitch to gives subtle meaning to sentences. The use of pitch is called intonation, but the words "pitch" and "intonation" are often used interchangeably.
The Intonation
There are different intonation
patterns used for different types of sentences
Falls to low at the end of the sentence.
The voice starts at a normal pitch, rises at the intonation focus word, falls back to normal after the intonation focus word.
The intonation pattern for statement, commands, and WH questions is basically the same.
There Are Three Basics
Pitches in English
LOW
Low is where the voice falls, usually at the end of sentences.
HIGH
High is where the voice rises to indicate information focus.
NORMAL
The normal pitch is where the voice usually is.
