Definition
Plain language
The music of speech — the pitch, loudness, and rhythm on top of the words themselves.
As stated in the literature
Suprasegmental properties of speech: F0 level and movement, intensity dynamics, duration, and pausing; carries paralinguistic meaning such as emphasis, affect, and ironic intent.
Also called: prosodic, prosodic features
Why it matters: Without reading prosody, a system takes every sentence at face value and misses sarcasm, doubt, urgency, and much of what human speech actually conveys.
For example, "nice job" can be genuine praise or a cutting insult depending entirely on the pitch and stretch of the voice saying it.
Heard on the show
“The broad term is prosody — the pitch, loudness, and timing patterns in speech.”Episode 262 — Raise the Pitch Nine Percent and the Model Cries Sarcasm