contrastive stress
[/kənˈtræstɪv strɛs/]
nounpl: contrastive stresses
acento contrastivo
1. Emphatic stress placed on a word or syllable to highlight a contrast with another word or to emphasize a distinction in meaning, often changing the focus or interpretation of a sentence
In the sentence 'I said JOHN called, not Jim,' the contrastive stress on JOHN emphasizes the distinction between the two names
Na frase 'Eu disse que JOÃO ligou, não Jim', o acento contrastivo em JOÃO enfatiza a distinção entre os dois nomes
2. A prosodic feature in linguistics where stress is used to clarify or correct a misunderstanding or to differentiate between similar utterances
The contrastive stress in 'She likes COFFEE, not tea' corrects the listener's assumption
O acento contrastivo em 'Ela gosta de CAFÉ, não de chá' corrige a suposição do ouvinte
Contrastive stress is a fundamental concept in linguistics and speech therapy across both American English and Brazilian Portuguese-speaking communities. It is particularly important in language teaching, pronunciation training, and in understanding how speakers naturally correct misunderstandings in everyday conversation. The term is more commonly used in academic and professional linguistic contexts than in casual speech.
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