primary stress
[ˈpraɪ.mer.i ˈstres]
nounpl: primary stresses
acento tônico primário
1. In phonology and linguistics, the strongest or most prominent stress placed on a syllable in a word with multiple syllables, typically marked with a vertical line above or before the stressed syllable
In the word 'photograph', the primary stress falls on the first syllable: 'PHO-to-graph'
Na palavra 'fotografia', o acento tônico primário recai sobre a primeira sílaba: 'FO-to-gra-fia'
2. The most important or emphatic stress in utterance stress patterns, as opposed to secondary stress
The primary stress in 'understanding' is on the last syllable: under-STAND-ing
O acento tônico primário em 'compreender' é na última sílaba: com-preen-DER
This is a technical linguistic term used primarily in academic, educational, and language teaching contexts. In Brazil, it is commonly taught in English language courses and phonetics classes. The term is fundamental to English pronunciation instruction, as English has more complex stress patterns than Portuguese. Understanding primary stress is essential for non-native English speakers to achieve proper pronunciation and for linguists studying phonological systems.
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →