What is the term for the musical pattern of speech?

• A. Intonation
• B. Stress
• C. Rhythm
• D. Tempo

Answer: (A)

Intonation refers to the melodic pattern of speech—the rise and fall of pitch across phrases and sentences. This pitch contour gives spoken language its musical quality and helps convey meaning beyond the words themselves, indicating questions, statements, emotions, or emphasis. Stress focuses on which syllables or words are emphasized, rhythm deals with the timing and cadence of syllables, and tempo is about the speed of speaking. Because only intonation captures the pitch changes that create the speech’s melody, it’s the best fit here.