3.8.2 Intonation

　 When we speak, we change the pitch of our voice to express ideas. Pitch depends on how fast the vocal cords vibrate. The faster they vibrate, the higher the pitch. Intonation is the variation of pitch to distinguish utterance meaning. The same sentence uttered with different intonation may express different attitude of the speaker. In English, there are three basic intonation patterns: fall, rise, and fall-rise. Imagine that a patient has a bad tooth and the dentist tells him it must be pulled out. The dentist says, “It won't hurt.” (With a falling intonation, he states a fact.) The patient responds, with a rising intonation, “It won't hurt?” ( He expresses doubt.) The dentist repeats the sentence, but with a fall-rise intonation. ( His utterance is soothing.)