Intonation is about how we say things, rather than what we say. With that in mind, one can only imagine what can go wrong if our intonation in conversation and communication are misplaced! At its’ core, intonation could be described as “the music of speech” and it is therefore necessary to shift our intonation to emphasize information that is key to our point. Think about it, when do we know when someone is asking us a question, a rhetorical or emotional one, or making a statement? And how does the way that they say it affect our understanding [or misunderstanding] of the conversation?
In any given sentence, depending on the focus and type of information conveyed in that sentence, you need to determine which words to stress by raising and lowering your pitch. A single sentence can have totally different meanings depending on which word is stressed each time. So, the best way to describe intonation would be to say that it refers to the way we use the pitch of our voice to express particular meanings and attitudes.
One example which illustrates just how important intonation and proper communication really is, is the very funny comedy routine “Who’s on First” made famous by Abbott and Costello. The premise of the sketch is that Abbott is describing the players on a baseball team for Costello, but their names and nicknames can be interpreted as non-responsive answers to Costello’s questions, mainly because the names of the players on the baseball team have “peculiar” names like “Who”, “What” “I Don’t Know” “Why” “Because” “Tomorrow” “Today” and “I Don’t Give a Damn”. Needless to say, Abbott’s explanations leave Costello hopelessly confused, frustrated and upset because Costello is using “Wh”-questions”, which have the same falling intonation as statements. Would Costello pick up on the players’ names sooner if Costello would emphasize intonation, to remove the ambiguity? Probably, but chances are we wouldn’t have laughed so hard when hearing it then.
