Identify the primary pitch movement required on the final nucleus syllable when delivering… — JAMB UTME

Identify the primary pitch movement required on the final nucleus syllable when delivering the question: 'Who left the classroom door unlocked?'

A falling intonation tune

In standard English speech, wh-questions ending on the nuclear syllable carry a falling pitch contour to signal definitive completion of an inquiry.

Analyze the grammatical structure of the sentence.

The utterance begins with 'Who', establishing it as an information-seeking wh-question.

Different sentence types in standard English speech correspond to distinct nuclear tone patterns.

Apply Received Pronunciation intonation rules for wh-questions.

The pitch drops on the last stressed syllable ('unlocked').

While polar (yes/no) questions finish with a rising tone, direct wh-questions conventionally end with a falling tone.

Intonation contours for Wh-questions versus Yes/No questions

Estimated Time:1m 0s

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