der Unterton
undertone
An implied, not directly stated meaning, intention, or emotional tone in an utterance or action.
EXAMPLE
In seiner Stimme war ein drohender Unterton zu hören.
There was a threatening undertone in his voice.
der Unterton
undertone
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Meanings
der Unterton
undertone
A tone in acoustics or music that lies below a fundamental tone and resonates together with it.
EXAMPLE
Bei der Analyse des Klangs wurden mehrere schwache Untertöne identifiziert.
During the analysis of the sound, several weak undertones were identified.
Usage tips
Compound word
The word consists of 'unter' (under) and 'Ton' (tone). This compound helps with both meanings: it is either an emotional tone that lies 'under' the words, or an acoustic tone that resonates 'under' a main tone.
EXAMPLE
Obwohl er lächelte, spürte ich einen kalten Unterton in seiner Begrüßung.
Although he smiled, I sensed a cold undertone in his greeting.
Context clue
You can recognize the figurative meaning from words that describe communication (voice, criticism, words). You can recognize the literal, acoustic meaning from technical terms from music or physics (sound, frequency, analysis).
EXAMPLE
Ihre Frage hatte einen neugierigen Unterton.
Her question had a curious undertone.
Typical collocations
In the figurative meaning, 'Unterton' (undertone) is often combined with adjectives that describe the emotion being implied, e.g. an 'ironischer' (ironic), 'kritischer' (critical), 'sarkastischer' (sarcastic), or 'freundlicher' (friendly) undertone.
EXAMPLE
Er bemerkte den ironischen Unterton in ihrer Stimme nicht.
He did not notice the ironic undertone in her voice.
Use with preposition
To express how something is said, German often uses the fixed expression 'mit einem ... Unterton' (with a ... undertone).
EXAMPLE
Sie erzählte die Geschichte mit einem amüsierten Unterton.
She told the story with an amused undertone.
Register
The acoustic meaning of 'Unterton' (undertone) is a technical term and is used almost exclusively in contexts such as music theory, acoustics, or physics.
EXAMPLE
In der Akustik beschäftigt man sich mit Obertönen und Untertönen.
In acoustics, people study overtones and undertones.
Compare with
Unterton vs Implikation
implication
Both words refer to something that is not stated directly in an utterance. An Implikation is an inferable meaning or logical consequence, whereas an Unterton is an accompanying attitude, evaluation, or emotional state. So ask yourself whether you mean content or mood.
Unterton
Der Unterton seiner Aussage klang trotz der höflichen Worte genervt.
Despite the polite words, the undertone of his statement sounded annoyed.
Implikation
Die Implikation seiner Aussage war, dass wir den Plan ändern müssen.
The implication of his statement was that we had to change the plan.
In real life
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