unaccented
/'ʌnæk'sentid/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- (Phonetics) Pronounced with little or no stress: Used to describe a vowel or syllable that receives minimal or no emphasis in speech.
- (Phonetics) Not bearing stress or accent: Describes a syllable that is not the stressed or prominent part of a word.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective:
- In the word "banana," the second syllable is unaccented.
- The unaccented beat in the musical measure provides a subtle rhythm.
- Many function words, like "the" or "and," are typically unaccented in a sentence.
Advanced Usage
- Linguistic Context: In poetry and scansion, an unaccented syllable is often called an "unstressed" syllable and is crucial for determining a poem's meter (e.g., iambic pentameter).
- The line is written in iambs, which consist of one unaccented syllable followed by an accented one.
Variants and Related Words
- Unstressed (adj): A more common synonym in linguistics, meaning not pronounced with stress.
- The unstressed syllable is often pronounced with a schwa sound.
- Atonic (adj): A technical term, especially in phonology, meaning lacking stress or tone.
- An atonic syllable carries no stress.
Synonyms
- Unstressed
- Weak (in the context of stress)
- Atonic
Antonyms
- Accented
- Stressed
- Tonic
Adjective
- (used of vowels or syllables) pronounced with little or no stress
- a syllable that ends in a short vowel is a light syllable
- a weak stress on the second syllable
- used of syllables
- an atonic syllable carries no stress