Delivery
Prosody
Definition
The melody of speech — the pattern of pitch, stress, and rhythm that conveys meaning beyond the words themselves.
Prosody is why "I never said she stole the money" can mean seven different things depending on which word you stress. It's the music of speech.
Great speakers use prosody to underline key ideas, signal questions vs. statements, and create emotional tone. Recording yourself is the fastest way to hear your own prosody — most speakers are surprised to find theirs is flatter than they thought.
Sources
- Wennerstrom, "The Music of Everyday Speech: Prosody and Discourse Analysis" (Oxford University Press) — Oxford University Press
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