Which term describes the start of the main pitch movement within a tone unit?

Which term describes the start of the main pitch movement within a tone unit?

• A. Tonic syllable
• B. Stressed syllable
• C. Nuclear syllable
• D. Onset

Answer: (A)

In intonation, a tone unit has a single focal pitch movement—the nucleus—that gives the unit its tune. The syllable that carries that main pitch movement is the tonic syllable. This syllable is typically the most prominent one in the unit, often the last stressed syllable, and it marks where the main tonal change starts. The pre-nuclear syllables carry preparatory pitch but the key movement begins on the tonic syllable. The idea of a stressed syllable is about emphasis, not necessarily the location of the main pitch movement, and the onset is simply the initial consonant of a syllable, not related to the pitch change.

In intonation, a tone unit has a single focal pitch movement—the nucleus—that gives the unit its tune. The syllable that carries that main pitch movement is the tonic syllable. This syllable is typically the most prominent one in the unit, often the last stressed syllable, and it marks where the main tonal change starts. The pre-nuclear syllables carry preparatory pitch but the key movement begins on the tonic syllable. The idea of a stressed syllable is about emphasis, not necessarily the location of the main pitch movement, and the onset is simply the initial consonant of a syllable, not related to the pitch change.