In
linguistics,
stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain
syllables in a word, or to certain words in a phrase or sentence. Stress is typically signaled by such properties as increased
loudness and
vowel length, full articulation of the vowel, and changes in
pitch. The terms
stress and
accent are often used synonymously, but they are sometimes distinguished, with certain specific kinds of prominence (such as
pitch accent, variously defined) being considered to fall under accent but not under stress. In this case, stress specifically may be called
stress accent or
dynamic accent.