secondary accent

American  

noun

1. a stress accent weaker than primary accent but stronger than lack of stress.

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secondary accent British  

noun

1. phonetics (in a system of transcribing utterances recognizing three levels of stress) the accent on a syllable of a word or breath group that is weaker than the primary accent but stronger than the lack of stress Compare primary accent

   in the word ``agriculture'' the secondary accent falls on the third syllable

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Etymology

Origin of secondary accent

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

secondary accent

The cases, however, when the division cannot be made to come on either the syllable bearing the primary accent or one bearing a secondary accent will be comparatively few.

From Division of Words Rules for the Division of Words at the Ends of Lines, with Remarks on Spelling, Syllabication and Pronunciation by Hamilton, Frederick W. (Frederick William)

In compound measures the secondary accent is marked by a beat almost as strong as that given the primary accent.

From Essentials in Conducting by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson

A secondary accent, or stress, is usually put upon the second member of compound and derivative nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.

From Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise Book with Inflections, Syntax, Selections for Reading, and Glossary by Smith, C. Alphonso (Charles Alphonso)

Before such an “imperfect” i or u the preceding syllable has a secondary accent, if it has not already got the main one.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various

The other syllables are either unaccented, as the first of material and the second of portion, or have a secondary accent, as the second of deliberation.

From The Principles of English Versification by Baum, Paull Franklin