Is there a word that captures the different moods and ways a word can be pronounced in?

Question

I am looking for a way to categorize these different ways a given word can be said to convey completely different emotions in different contexts, and I feel like there is some proper term for it that I don't know about. For instance, you could say "Hi" in a very sarcastic way to convey a sense of arrogance, you could say "Hi" in a lower voice through your teeth to convey anger and contempt, or you could say "Hi" in a joyous way to convey that you enjoy seeing someone, or you could say "Hi" in an earnest way to convey meeting someone new in a professional environment.

Answer 1

In my opinion, the answer to the question if there is a word that captures the different moods and ways a word can be pronounced is “prosody”. Prosody includes the pitch, rhythm, and melody of spoken language. The speech pathologist Jocelyn M. Wood defines prosody as “the vocal quality that humans use to signify whether they are asking a question, making a statement, or showing excitement”. A simplified example could be when I say “This is a very nice movie” negatively or positively, thus expressing disgust and rejection by slowing down the words “very” and “nice” and saying them at a deeper pitch. The opposite could be expressed by putting the emphasis on the word “this” at a higher pitch and then pronouncing the remaining words with descending voice.  

Answer 2

Lacie,

I believe the word you are looking for is Pragmatics. Basically what pragmatics means is how the context in which a word is stated influences the meaning of the word. Intonation or the way you say the word also contributes to the interpretation of meaning. I would suggest for further information you look up the word "pragmatics" to understand more in depth this field of study in linguistics. Thank you for your question. I hope my answer puts you on a path of further discovery.