I.
One of the most significant changes in intonation since RP is in yes-no questions, i.e. questions which can be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’. By far the most common way of asking yes-no questions was with the pattern they called the downstepped Low Rise or ‘Low Bounce’. This pattern can certainly be heard today, but its meaning is more marked and less neutral than it was in RP. It may show considerable surprise; or it may signal that the speaker is talking ‘down’ to the hearer. Adults might use it when asking small children a question.
Is that chocolate milkshake?
Do you like living in Paris?
II.
In SSB today, a more neutral and common way of asking yes-no questions is with a contour which begins, like the Low Bounce, but it ends in the Fall-Rise nuclear tone rather than the Low Rise. This gives us a more straightforwardly polite yes-no question, suitable for any addressee.
Can you come over now?
In Brief, it was very common in RP to ask yes-no questions with the downstepped Low Rise, but this can now sound old-fashioned or even patronising. So, use the Fall-Rise instead.
