Which term describes the rise and fall of voice pitch across a sentence, influencing meaning?

• A. Juncture
• B. Stress
• C. Pitch
• D. Intonation

Answer: (D)

The rise and fall of voice pitch across a sentence is called intonation. This pattern of pitch movement shapes meaning and how a sentence is understood—like signaling a question, a statement, or emphasis without changing the words themselves. Intonation is different from pitch, which is simply how high or low the voice is at a moment. It’s also distinct from stress, which is about stressing certain syllables or words to highlight them or alter focus, and from juncture, which deals with how sounds connect and pauses occur in speech. Because intonation captures the overall contour of the sentence and how its meaning shifts with that contour, it’s the best term for describing how voice pitch rises and falls across an utterance. For example, a rising intonation at the end of a sentence often marks a question, while a falling intonation signals a statement or command.