ACCENT

(1), stre or emphasis put upon one syllable of a word, (e.g.) emphasis. In long words a second subordinate a. may occur. In Eng. language, a. tends towards initial syllables. A. sometimes distinguishes nouns from verbs, (e.g). con’vert (noun), convert’ (verb). In prosody (q.v.) a. plays leading part. (2) Stre on certain notes in music, generally ist and 38rd notes in bar. (3) Grammatical sign to indicate different kinds of pitch or vowel sound. The acute a. ’ marks a stre ed syllable, @ raised tone or a ‘closed e’ in French: the grave ~ ‘denotes a lowered pitch, or an ‘open e’ in French; the circumflex a. is a compound of the acute and grave, and in Fr, signifies a prolonged vowel. (4) Peculiar pronunciation or int on a nation (e.g.), Glasgow a., French a.