distinctive manner of oral expression; he couldnt suppress his contemptuous accent; she had a very clear speech pattern

[ Syn: speech pattern ]

special importance or significance; the red light gave the central figure increased emphasis; the room was decorated in shades of grey with distinctive red accents

[ Syn: emphasis ]

the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people; the immigrants spoke an odd dialect of English; he has a strong German accent; it has been said that a language is a dialect with an army and navy

[ Syn: dialect , idiom ]

the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch); he put the stress on the wrong syllable

[ Syn: stress , emphasis ]

a diacritical mark used to indicate stress or placed above a vowel to indicate a special pronunciation

[ Syn: accent mark ]

to stress, single out as important; Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet

[ Syn: stress , emphasize , emphasise , punctuate , accentuate ]

put stress on; utter with an accent; In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word

[ Syn: stress , accentuate ]