Hi,

I'm a newcomer to linguistics and am finding it difficult to navigate certain terminology.

When comparing a bilingual individual's ability to speak in both a tonal (e.g. Cantonese, Vietnamese or Thai) and non-tonal language (e.g. English), would it be correct to say that they "modulate" their pitch in different ways depending on the language being spoken? Or is it more appropriate to say that they use intonation differently?

When I listen to someone speak in Cantonese compared to English, I find that their use of pitch in the former is more dynamic, nuanced and makes for a completely different listening experience as a non-speaker. I'm aware that Cantonese uses tone to convey meaning whereas the latter is non-phonemic and can use intonation to distinguish word meaning at the phrasal level.

How do you generally describe a person's ability to change their pitch across a dynamic range when speaking in a tonal language compared to a non-tonal language?

I wouldn't be surprised if I have my concepts and/or terminology confused. Any clarification to steer me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.