ACCENT.
The remarks on Accentuation in the third book of this series have already familiarized the learner with the uses of accent. He has learned how accent determines the pronunciation of words, and how it shows, in many cases, the sounds of the vowels. He has also learned, that many words are differently accented, and, of course, differently pronounced, when used as nouns, from the manner in which they are accented and pronounced, when used as verbs.
We shall not repeat what we have there explained; but we will here inform the pupil, that while all words of more than one syllable have one accented syllable, almost all words of more than three syllables have two accented syllables. These two syllables are not accented with equal force, and this makes necessary the terms Primary Accent, and Secondary Accent.
Where two syllables are accented in the same word, that which has the greater amount of stress laid upon it, receives the primary accent (generally marked ˝), and that which has the less amount of stress laid upon it, receives the secondary accent (generally marked ˊ or ˋ).
EXAMPLES.
- edˊ-u-ca˝-tion
- recˊ-o-mend˝
- vo-cab˝-u-larˊ-y
- resˊ-o-lu˝-tion
- amˊ-bi-gu˝-i-ty
- adˊ-mon-i˝-tion
- tem˝-po-raˊ-ry
- mo˝-ment-aˊ-ry
- inˊ-de-pend˝-ence
- conˊ-ver-sa˝-tion
- satˊ-is-fac˝-tion
- mat˝-ri-moˊ-ny
- conˊ-se-quen˝-tial
- rĕˊ-sur-rec˝-tion
- morˊ-ti-fi-ca˝-tion
Observing the proper position of the accent, and paying particular attention to it, is indispensable for good reading. Those who fail to do so, always read with a drawling, monotonous tone, and cannot please their hearers. There is no precision in their pronunciation, and there can be no clearness in their enunciation. (See the “Columbian Spelling Book,” page 105, where the nature and uses of accents are treated of at considerable length.)