THE MECHANICS OF EMPHASIS: UNRAVELING WORD STRESS AND PROMINENCE IN SPOKEN LANGUAGE
Keywords:
Word stress, prominence, phonology, phonetics, intonation, focus, rhythm, prosody, lexical stress, acoustic correlates, cross-linguistic variationAbstract
Word stress and prominence are fundamental phonological phenomena that imbue spoken language with rhythm, clarity, and meaning. While often used interchangeably in casual discourse, they represent distinct yet intrinsically linked concepts critical for linguistic analysis. Word stress is an inherent property of a syllable within a multisyllabic word, a lexical feature marked by increased acoustic salience, primarily achieved through greater duration, intensity, and fundamental frequency. Prominence, in contrast, is a higher-level, context-dependent emphasis assigned to a word or syllable within an utterance, driven by communicative intent such as focus, contrast, or new information. This essay delineates the definitions of word stress and prominence, explores their acoustic correlates and phonological rules, and examines their diverse functions, including lexical disambiguation, rhythmic organization, and information structuring. Furthermore, it highlights the intricate interplay between these two phenomena and discusses their cross-linguistic variations, underscoring their crucial role in shaping the perception and comprehension of spoken language.
References
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