Definition

The study or practice of intonation in speech, focusing on the rise and fall of voice pitch.

Example

Linguists often explore tonetics to understand how intonation affects meaning in different languages.

Conversation

Have you ever heard of tonetics?

No, what's that about?

It's the study of intonation in speech.

That sounds interesting! I’d love to learn more about it.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Tonetics → It is formed from "tonus" (from Greek "τόνος", meaning tone or tension) and "-etics" (from Greek "ἔτικος", meaning pertaining to). The word refers to the study or science of tone, particularly in linguistics and phonetics.

Memory Tip

Think of 'tone' ('tonus') and remember that 'tonetics' is about the study of tone in language.

Visually Confused Words