prosodic accent

The first step in understanding the meaning of the term prosodic accent that we are now dealing with is to begin by determining its etymological origin. Specifically, this is what each of the two words that shape it have:
-Accent. It is a word that derives from Latin, specifically, from “accentus”, which is the result of the sum of two clearly delimited components: the prefix “ad-”, which can be translated as “towards”, and the noun “cantus ", Which means" song. "
-Prosodic, which comes from the Greek word "prosoidikos" and which means "related to tone, song, accent or modulation". It is a term made up of these parts: the prefix "pros-", which means "next door"; the noun “oide”, which is synonymous with “song”, and the suffix “-ico”, which indicates “relative to”.

Accent is a term that can be used to name the Energy that is applied when pronouncing a syllable, with the aim of differentiating it from the rest by its tone or intensity. Prosodic, for its part, is that linked to the prosody (the branch of grammar that instructs on correct accentuation and pronunciation).

The prosodic accent is he relief that is made in pronunciation. When this relief is indicated in the writing of the words through the accent mark (an oblique line that descends from the right to the left), it is spoken of orthographic accent.

As can be seen, the prosodic accent is one that is applied in the pronunciation, while the orthographic accent is reflected through the tilde. The syllable that is stressed, on the other hand, is called stressed syllable.

Take the case of the word "dog". It is a two-syllable word: pe - rro. The stressed syllable it is pe: the prosodic accent falls on her. "Dog"In this way, it is a word stressed on the second to last syllable, which ends with a vowel letter. The spelling rules of the Spanish language indicate that, in these cases, the accent is not used.

The word "passion" also has two syllables: pa - Zion. Its stressed syllable is Zion but, in this case, beyond the prosodic accent, it also has an orthographic accent (tilde). This is because the accent is in the last syllable and the word ends in N: According to the rules of spelling, these words have an accent mark to mark the accent.

Thus, for example, in the word "building", the prosodic accent falls directly on the syllable "fi". And that without forgetting that there are many other words in Spanish that also have the same, among which are from " tusk ”to“ father ”through“ handkerchief ”,“ suit ”,“ cinema ”or“ beauty ”.

One way to understand the difference between prosodic accent and orthographic accent, after the above is through some sentences:
-In the phrase "We traveled to Madrid by plane", plane is a word that has an accent.
-In the phrase "At the Barajas airport there are many planes", this last word is not an orthographic accent but a prosodic type.