Tonacja

Tonacja is a term used in two main contexts: music theory and linguistics, where it denotes different concepts related to pitch organization.

In music theory, tonacja (key) refers to the system of pitches, chords, and harmonic relationships organized around a central pitch called the tonic. This tonal center gives a piece its sense of home and direction. The most common tonalities are major (tonacja dur) and minor (tonacja molowa). A key signature specifies which pitches are altered, shaping the scale and available chords. Harmonic practice in a given tonacja often emphasizes progressions that resolve to the tonic, such as the dominant–tonic (V–I) cadence. Tonacja can change through modulation, which moves the music to a different tonal center, typically via pivot chords or chromatic pathways. In Western classical music, tonacja underpins the structure of many compositions and is explored through concepts like the circle of fifths, mode, and modality, especially during the common-practice period.

In linguistics, tonacja (intonation) describes the pitch contour of spoken language and how it conveys meaning beyond the literal words. Intonation signals sentence modality (statement, question), focus, emotion, and pragmatic effects. Different languages exhibit characteristic intonation patterns, and Polish intonation typically features distinctive pitch movements for emphasis and for marking questions or contrasts. Tonacja, as a suprasegmental feature, is studied in phonetics and phonology alongside rhythm, stress, and prosody.