Intonation

Besides learning the correct pronunciation of each word, it is important to pay attention to regional accents and intonations within sentences. In Korea, there are different accents, which differ from region to region. Try listening to the following track (3-31) and identifying the differences between a Seoul accent (the accent considered standard in Korea) and one from the southeast of the peninsula (spoken in the dialect of the Gyeongsang provinces, called 사투리 or 방언).

Please listen the audio (3-31) with the dialogue below.

여보세요? 안녕하세요? 저는 안드레아인데요.
영희, 지금 집에 있어요?
아, 지금 집에 없어요?
그럼 이따가 다시 전화할게요.
안녕히 계세요.

The following illustrates some common intonation patterns.

Note that in the following sentences, by changing the intonation the meaning itself of the sentence can change.

When listening to Korean, we must pay attention to the speaker’s tone, because it can alter the meaning. For some examples, let’s see to some sentences pronounced with a stubborn tone and some with a sarcastic one.