Accentual

/əkˈsɛntʃuəl/ adjective

Definition

Relating to or based on accentuation; relating to stress or emphasis in language.

Etymology

From accent + -ual (forming adjectives meaning 'relating to'). Accent comes from Latin accentus (tone of voice), composed of ad- (to) + cantus (song).

Kelly Says

Linguists distinguish between 'accentual' languages (where stress placement is distinctive, like English) and 'tonal' languages (where pitch changes meaning, like Mandarin)—this technical distinction shows how differently languages can use your voice!

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