Statement intonation: the falling line

Erklärung

Pattern: slight rise to the first stressed syllable, plateau, clear fall on the last: Trabajo-en-el-centro↘. Lists rise on each item, fall on the last: pan↗, queso↗ y vino↘.

Unfinished thoughts stay suspended (level or light rise): si querés... The flat-then-fall contour plus even syllable timing is most of 'sounding Spanish'.

The contour is slight rise to the first stressed syllable, a plateau, then a clear fall on the last: Trabajo en el centro↘. Lists rise on each item and fall on the final one (pan↗, queso↗ y vino↘), while an unfinished thought stays suspended (si querés…). That flat-then-fall line plus even syllable timing is most of what 'sounding Spanish' is.

Beispiele

Verwandte Regeln

• Question intonation: rise vs fall
• Linking (sinalefa): why natives sound fast