Intonation and Tones

Rising tone

The rising tone is used at the end of general questions (Is she /here?), in requests (Could you /help me?), at the end of introductory phrases beginning the sentence (As /usual, he was \late.), in the first part of alternative questions (Is it /short or \long?), in the second part of tag questions (Nice \weather, /isn't it?), in direct address (/Mike, where \are you?), and in enumerations (I bought /milk, /cheese, and \fruit.).

Depending on the context, the rising tone may express interest, politeness, surprise, doubt, incompleteness, and so on. The rising tone begins on the last stressed syllable of the sentence and first goes down just a little and then continues going up. The English rising tone does not go up as high as the Russian rising tone does.

If the sentence ends on the last stressed syllable, the rise takes place within the last stressed syllable: Do you have a /pen? If there are unstressed syllables after the final stressed syllable, the rise goes down a little on the stressed syllable and then continues going up on the unstressed syllables: Do you have a /pencil?

In many cases you can use the normal rising tone instead of the fall-rise, high rise, mid-level rise, low rise.

Fall-rise

The fall-rise may be used instead of the rising tone in various cases, for example in introductory phrases and in subordinate clauses at the beginning of the sentence. Examples:

If you don't hurry \ /up, you'll be \late.

Despite her \ /warning, he opened the \door.

The fall-rise expresses nonfinality, signals continuation of the utterance, emphasizes the word on which it is used, and may express polite warning, suggestion, correction, contrast, and so on. The voice falls down and goes up within one word.