pitch contour
1
6.5
- noun
- /pɪtʃ ˈkɒntʊr/
- Specialized
- Understanding the pitch contour of speech can help in learning a new language effectively.
Examples
-
Research on the perception of speech and tonal patterns shows that infants between 5 and 11 months are particularly sensitive to pitch contours and rhythmic patterns.
Academic text (2016) -
Note that this represents a slightly more restrictive linked viewpoint than that used for pattern discovery (1), in that the regions are also required to conserve pitch contour.
Academic text (2018) -
We teach the youngest children to follow pitch contour in songs, move to the beat, and respond artfully to musical stimuli.
Academic text (2012) -
A phrase, section, or entire composition should strive to have a rhythmic contour as successful as its pitch contour.
Academic text (2001) -
The generated music, therefore, conserves the abstract qualities of scale step, duration contour, and pitch contour.
Academic text (2018) -
For example, adults and infants have robust memory for the pitch contours and rhythms of novel melodies, but relatively poor memory for other details.
Academic text (2000) -
The overall pattern of pitch fluctuations across sentences (pitch contour) serves as an overall indicator of prosody.
Academic text (2013) -
The stimuli were 200 ms long and had a pitch contour that began at 130 Hz and remained steady for 50 ms, gradually falling thereafter to 90 Hz.
Academic text (2012) -
In music, the pitch contour can change dramatically to convey different emotions.
-
The singer's pitch contour throughout the song added depth to her performance.
Synonyms
7
4.6
The rise and fall of voice when speaking that shows meaning or feeling
1
6.3
A change in voice pitch or loudness to show feeling
1
8.1
Rhythm, stress, and tone in speech that show meaning or feeling
1
5.6
The rise and fall of the voice when speaking that shows if a sentence is a question or statement
How Varied
- Specialized
1
6.5
5
5.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'pitch' (highness/lowness of sound) combined with 'contour' (outline/profile) yields the 'outline' or shape of pitch — i.e., its rising and falling pattern. This metaphorical use of 'contour' to mean a pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both words should grasp the MWE.
Etymology
Pitch contour comes from the idea of a visible shape of sound: pitch, which is how 'high' or 'low' a sound is, moves along a line or contour like hills and valleys. So the phrase helps you picture how a voice or melody rises and falls and why that pattern can change the 'meaning' or feeling of a sentence or song.