words AND music

Just watched an early episode of Friends, very funny – where they all get locked out of the girls’ flat and argue in the hallway:

“You said YOU had the key”

“No I said ‘got the key’ (inflection up as in a question ‘got the key?’)”

“No, you said ‘got the key’ (inflection down as in a statement ‘got the key!’)”

And so the row went on in typical Friends’ style and of course they found a spare key in the boys’ flat.

Don’t you just love how intonation can make such a difference in communication?

Have you ever noticed how easily conflict (at home, work or play) is simply the result of people’s over-reliance on words alone.

Where do we teach our kids that they can become more precise with the ‘music’ that accompanies words?

I’m thinking of all those fun word-song games on long car journeys.
Just a thought.