Secondary accent is a type of stress and intonation subjugated to primary accent in multisyllabic words. Experts identify various types of stress, including informational and true stress. Secondary stress applies to words with four or more syllables, and impaired vocals are important to understand stress.
Secondary accent is a specific type of stress and intonation that linguists define as an accent that is subjugated to another primary accent within a specific multisyllabic word. To put it differently, the primary stress is the most stressed syllable in a word, and the secondary stress is the next most intensely stressed syllable. Linguists and other experts use primary and secondary stress along with other stress elements, such as tertiary braid, unstressed syllables, and other elements of speech that have to do with the overall tone and cadence of speech.
By considering the primary and secondary stress in words, experts have identified various types of stress and intonation that can serve as primary or secondary stresses. One of these is called informational or “tonic” stress, where the pitch of the voice can indicate stress for a syllable. Another is sometimes called “true” or “phonemic” stress, in which respiratory changes can produce the stress changes.
It’s important to note that secondary stress usually only applies to words longer than four or more syllables. In these longer words, it can be helpful to break down the entire word by accent and examine where both the primary and secondary accents are located. For example, in the word “counterintuitive,” which includes six syllables, most experts generally agree that the fourth syllable gets the primary stress and the first syllable gets the secondary stress. One way people work with this stress designation is to explain that the stress of this word breaks it into two parts, one starting with the first syllable and the other starting with the fourth syllable.
Another popular element of stress is called impaired vocals. Reduced vowels are extremely important to better understand the stress of the English language. For example, by taking the word “deliberate,” linguists can break down the stress and explain how the major stress on the second syllable relates to three unstressed vowels in the remaining syllables. The first is the “e” of the first syllable, in which the vowel is greatly shortened. The second is “eaten”, which is similarly reduced if the word is used as an adjective, but receives a secondary accent if the word is used as a verb.
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