stress patterns
Accented beat arrangements
Stress patterns are the arrangements of emphasized and unemphasized syllables in words or phrases.
In English, stress falls on particular syllables: PHOtograph versus phoTOgraphy.
These patterns affect pronunciation, rhythm, and sometimes meaning—CONtract (noun) versus conTRACT (verb).
Poets and linguists analyze stress patterns to understand meter and natural speech rhythm.
- intonationPitch variation in speech
- prosodyStudy of verse rhythm
- syllableUnit of pronunciation
- accentRegional speech pattern
- meterDevice that measures usage
poetic meter · iambic pentameter · diphthongs · tongue twisters · rhythm · trochee · syllable structure · metrical foot · unstressed syllable · dactylic · phonetics · spondee · anapest · phrasing · unstressed · phonology · cadence · pulse