ˈflɛk.ʃən ɪnˈflɛkʃən ˈpɹɒzədi ˈpɹɑzədi the patterns of stress and intonation in a language a manner of speaking in which the loudness or pitch or tone of the voice is modified deviation from a straight or normal course a change in the form of a word (usually by adding a suffix) to indicate a change in its grammatical function