NPR

Really? Really. How Our Brains Figure Out What Words Mean Based On How They're Said

Scientists have identified the brain cells that detect pitch changes in speech, allowing us to understand whether someone is asking a question or making a statement.
Simply going up in pitch at the end of a sentence can transform a statement into a question. / Lizzie Roberts / Getty Images

It's not just what you say that matters. It's how you say it.

Take the phrase, "Here's Johnny." When Ed McMahon used it to introduce Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, the words were an enthusiastic greeting. But in The Shining, Jack Nicholson used the same two words to convey murderous intent.

Now scientists are in the journal that they

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