questions) generally have di"erent intonation than questions
beginning with words like who, what, where, when, why,
and how (called WH- questions or information questions).
Students may not realize this and may use the same
intonation with all question types.
Yes/no questions usually end in rising intonation. The
prominent syllable is marked by a change in pitch, either
higher or lower, depending on the speaker. In either case, the
intonation at the end of the sentence goes up to the highest
point in the pitch range. You might hear either of these
patterns. The !rst is more commonly represented in
textbooks, although the second is closer to the intonation
most Americans actually use.
Is this your notebook?
Is this your notebook?
WH- questions usually end in falling intonation. As in
statements, the intonation rises on the prominent syllable and
then stays low after that, ending at the lowest point in the
pitch range. For example:
What’s your favorite kind of music?
Where are you going today?How many brothers and sisters do you have?Surprise: Rising intonation can be a sign of surprise or
disbelief. It can also change a statement into a question:The meeting is today? I thought it was next week.What? You won a million dollars?Clarification or repetition questions: Sometimes a
speaker says something that the listener can’t understand or
something that sounds strange or unbelievable. In this case,
the listener might ask another question to get the speaker to
clarify or repeat what he/she has said. Like expressions of
surprise, these questions usually have rising intonation. This
is true even if they are WH- questions, which normally have
falling intonation. The question word also receives more
emphasis than it normally would.A: Where did you go on your vacation?B: I went to Yosemite. It was so beautiful!138