meaningmetaphors
I understand the literal meaning of "Tone-deaf". As Wiktionary puts it:
Unable to clearly distinguish the difference in pitch between
different notes.
But what's the metaphorical meaning?
As a random example, how would I interpret it in this op-ed
That is a tone-deaf statement, on a couple of levels.
The big difference is that cumulative is far more common than accumulative.
At the level of actual meaning, to the extent that accumulative is used at all, it tends to refer to someone/something doing the accumulating. By contrast, cumulative is more associated with that which is accumulated.
If the sense intended is acquisitive, just use that word. In all other cases, use cumulative.
The ways in which the voice can convey meaning by means other than vocabulary and syntax are known collectively as prosody. I know of no single word for the particular feature you describe. However, changes in intonation can be described by terms such as low fall, mid fall, high rise, fall-rise and so on.
It seems that in your first sentence the change in pitch might be a low rise, and in the second a rise-fall. It is, however, impossible to be sure from the text alone. It would be necessary to hear a recording of the speech, and to analyse it as a whole. Previous speeches in the conversation, the relationship between the participants and the accompanying facial expressions would also be relevant.
Best Answer
Just as a literally tone-deaf person is unable to comprehend the differences between musical notes, a metaphorically tone-deaf person is unable to comprehend the different facets/nuances of a given situation. A statement such a person makes might also be described as tone-deaf.
It differs from words like ignorant because when you're calling someone ignorant, you're just calling attention to the fact that they do not know; whereas calling someone tone-deaf implies they're incapable of understanding.