Prosody

Suprasegmental features of speech—stress, rhythm, and intonation—that span syllables and phrases.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Rising intonation commonly signals yes-no questions across many languages.
• Languages are traditionally classed as stress-timed, like English, or syllable-timed, like Spanish.
• A 2009 study found French and German newborns cry with melodies echoing their native language.