inflection
/ɪnˈflekʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈflekʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈflek-shən/ (ame, mw)
inflection — 名詞
- inflectionsingular
- inflectionsplural
1. a change made to a word's shape or ending so that it signals a grammatical role
字形變化
字尾或形式改變以顯示文法功能
a change made to a word's shape or ending so that it signals a grammatical role — for example, marking past tense, plural number, or possession.
In English, the plural inflection for most nouns is the ending '-s', as in 'book' becoming 'books'.
在英文裡，大多數名詞的複數字形變化是加字尾「-s」，例如「book」變成「books」。
inflection for [grammatical feature]
Ada explained that Latin verbs carry many inflections to show person, number, and tense.
Ada 解釋說，拉丁文的動詞有許多字形變化，用來顯示人稱、數量和時態。
carry inflections to show [feature]
The teacher highlighted the inflection on the verb 'walked' to mark the past tense.
老師特別指出動詞「walked」上的字形變化，用來標示過去式。
Russian relies heavily on inflection, while Mandarin uses almost none.
俄文大量依賴字形變化，而中文幾乎完全不用。
Marco struggled with German noun inflections, which change depending on grammatical case.
Marco 對德文的名詞字形變化感到很吃力，這些變化會根據文法格位而不同。
- conjugation
specifically verb inflection for person, tense, mood
- declension
specifically noun, pronoun, or adjective inflection for case, number, gender
文法句型
inflection of [word/category]
inflection for [grammatical feature]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (voice pitch): this sense refers to a written or morphological change to a word, while sense 2 refers to spoken vocal change. Often appears in plural ('inflections') when listing multiple word forms.
常見錯誤
2. the rising and falling pattern of a speaker's voice — including changes in pitch
語調變化
說話時聲音高低、強弱的起伏
the rising and falling pattern of a speaker's voice — including changes in pitch, loudness, or stress — that conveys feeling, emphasis, or meaning.
Christopher's voice rose in inflection at the end of every question.
Christopher 每次問問題時，句尾的語調變化都會往上揚。
inflection at the end of a question (rising intonation)
Rania read the poem aloud with gentle inflection, lingering on the final line.
Rania 用溫柔的語調變化朗誦這首詩，最後一句拉得很長。
read aloud with inflection
There was a hint of sarcasm in Lukas's inflection when he praised the soup.
Lukas 稱讚那碗湯時，語調變化中帶著一絲諷刺。
The robot voice spoke each word with no inflection, sounding flat and lifeless.
機器人講每個字都沒有語調變化，聽起來平板又沒有生命力。
Eri raised the inflection of her voice slightly to stress the word 'today'.
Eri 把聲音的語調變化稍微提高，以強調「今天」這個字。
- intonation
more technical; the overall melodic pattern of speech
- tone
broader; covers attitude and quality of voice, not just pitch
- modulation
deliberate adjustment of pitch or loudness, often for artistic effect
- monotone
speech with no variation in pitch
文法句型
inflection in [someone's] voice
with [a/an] [adjective] inflection
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (word form): this sense is about how the voice sounds aloud, not about written word endings. Often modified by descriptive adjectives ('rising inflection', 'flat inflection', 'gentle inflection').