Definition
The patterns of rhythm, stress, and intonation in spoken language or poetry; the musical qualities of language including meter, cadence, and tone. In linguistics, prosody encompasses all the suprasegmental features of speech beyond individual sounds.
Example Usage
The poet's masterful prosody created a hypnotic rhythm that made the audience lean forward in their seats.
Origin
From Greek 'prosoidia' (song sung to accompaniment), from 'pros' (to) and 'ode' (song).
Fun Fact
Prosody is crucial to how we process language—the same words spoken with different prosodic patterns can completely change meaning, making the difference between a statement and a question, or sincerity and sarcasm.
Source: Definition backfill (hailey)
Related Terms
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