tåns

Tóns is a term used in several languages to denote tones, or the perceptual qualities and pitches of sound. It can refer to musical pitches, speech patterns, or the overall character of a sound, depending on context.

In music, a tone is a sound with a definite pitch, distinguishable from transient or noisy sounds. Tones form scales and intervals and are described within tuning systems. In many Western traditions, the term tone can also relate to a whole step, though exact usage varies by theory and culture. Tones underpin melody, harmony, and intonation in performance, and are affected by temperament and instrument timbre.

In linguistics, tone refers to pitch patterns used to distinguish meaning in tonal languages. Tones can be level (such as high, mid, or low) or contour (rising, falling, or dipping). Some languages use multiple tones to differentiate words, while others rely on tone for grammatical distinctions. Tone can interact with phonological context, and phenomena like tone sandhi alter tones across word boundaries in connected speech.

In audio technology, tone describes the general color or quality of a sound, as well as signals used for testing and calibration. Tone controls on audio equipment adjust the balance of low and high frequencies to shape timbre. Synthesizers and instruments generate tones with specific frequencies and envelopes to produce desired musical or sonic textures.

See also: pitch, timbre, scale, phonology, tone language.