This question assesses understanding of linguistic concepts and how they interact. The critical aspect here is the manipulation of meaning through intonation and word order rather than through changes in word form. The core concept lies in the pragmatic and syntactic level of analysis. * **Core Concept:** Linguistic analysis, intonation’s role in meaning, syntactic structure, and pragmatic shifts. * **Solution Analysis:** The correct answer (C) pragmatic shift, points to how meaning is changed depending on the context, in this case, through intonation. Semantic ambivalence (A) refers to a sentence having multiple meanings, which isn't the case here. Syntactic variation (B) generally involves changes to sentence structure by adding or removing elements, not by altering meaning with intonation. Morphological inflection (D) changes meaning through word modifications, which is not the case here. * **Option A:** *Semantic ambivalence* refers to when a single word or phrase can have multiple distinct meanings, leading to uncertainty or confusion in interpretation. This option doesn’t fit the situation where intonation is changing the emphasis, not allowing multiple meanings. * **Option B:** *Syntactic variation* means the same message may be expressed using various grammatical forms, changing the structure of the sentence without directly changing the meaning in this way. The question is about changing meaning not structure and is therefore wrong. * **Option C (Correct):** *Pragmatic shift* refers to changing the meaning or interpretation of a statement based on the context in which it is used, often through non-lexical means such as tone, intonation, or non-verbal cues. This is precisely what the scenario is illustrating. * **Option D:** *Morphological inflection* involves altering words’ forms to indicate tense, number, gender, or another grammatical category. However, intonation is not a grammatical category, meaning this cannot be the right option. **Key Takeaway:** Understanding the interplay between different levels of linguistic analysis, specifically the distinction between syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, is crucial for answering this type of question. The correct answer emphasizes the effect of context on language interpretation.