intonation (language)

The way in which the level of the voice changes in order to add meaning to what is being said. For example, when someone asks a question, the level (or ‘pitch’) of his or her voice usually rises towards the end of the question: ‘Are you coming with us tomorrow?’

Intonation is important when a sentence in the form of a statement is in fact a question: ‘You don't believe me?’ (The intonation in the question is shown in writing by a question mark.) The level of a person's voice is changed to show different attitudes, for example to show sarcasm, impatience, anger, or disbelief.