美式英语正音训练第52期:阶梯状语调

Staircase Intonation

So what is intonation in American English?

What do Americans do?

We go up and down staircases.

We start high and end low.

Every time we want to stress a word or an idea, we just start a new staircase.

That sounds simple enough, but when and where do you start a new staircase?

Statement Intonation with Nouns

Intonation or pitch change is primarily used to introduce new information.

This means that when you are making a statement for the first time, you will stress the nouns.

Dogs eat bones.