intone
/in'toutou/ Cách viết khác : (intonate) /'intouneit/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To speak or recite in a singing voice or with a particular, often solemn, tone: To utter words with a deliberate, controlled modulation of pitch, especially in a ritualistic, religious, or formal context.
- To utter in a monotone: To speak in a repetitive, rhythmic, and unchanging tone.
Usage and Examples
- Verb:
- The priest began to intone the ancient prayer. (He recited the prayer with a measured, melodic voice.)
- The teacher asked the student to intone the vowel sounds clearly. (The student was asked to pronounce the sounds with careful pitch variation.)
- The protesters intoned their demands for hours. (They repeated their demands rhythmically and monotonously.)
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- Intone often implies a formal, deliberate, or ceremonial manner of speaking, distinct from ordinary conversation. It is closely associated with religious services, chanting, and the recitation of poetry or sacred texts.
- The word can carry a neutral or positive connotation when referring to ritualistic or artistic recitation, but it can also have a slightly negative connotation when describing monotonous, repetitive speech.
Variants and Related Words
- Intonation (n): The rise and fall of the voice in speaking; the act of intoning.
- Her intonation made the story very engaging.
- Intoned (adj): Spoken in an intoning manner.
- The intoned verses echoed in the hall.
Synonyms
- Chant: To sing or say in a repetitive, rhythmic way.
- Recite: To repeat aloud from memory, often formally.
- Cantillate: To chant or recite with musical tones (especially in Jewish liturgy).
Phrasal Verbs / Common Collocations
- Intone a prayer/psalm/mantra: To recite a religious or spiritual text with a solemn, modulated voice.
- The monks intone their mantras at dawn.
- Intone solemnly/gravely/monotonously: Adverbs frequently used to describe the manner of intoning.
- The judge intoned the verdict gravely.
Related Idioms or Fixed Expressions
- While there are no common idioms using "intone" itself, the concept is central to phrases like:
- In a chanting/intoning voice: Describing a manner of speech.
- The leader spoke in a chanting voice, captivating the audience.
Verb
- speak carefully, as with rising and falling pitch or in a particular tone
- please intonate with sadness
- recite with musical intonation; recite as a chant or a psalm
- The rabbi chanted a prayer
- utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically
- The students chanted the same slogan over and over again