intonation
/ˌɪntəʊˈneɪʃən/noun
mass noun
1
- the rise and fall of the voice in speaking语调; 声调：
she spoke English with a German intonation.
她讲英语时带有德语语调。
1.1
- the action of intoning or reciting in a singing voice吟咏, 吟诵。
2
- accuracy of pitch in playing or singing音准：
poor woodwind intonation at the opening.
开头时质量不好的木管乐器音准。
3
- the opening phrase of a plainsong melody（素歌的）起始短句。
派生词
intonational
adjective词源
early 17th cent. (in sense 3)： from medieval Latin intonatio（n-）， from intonare （see INTONE）.