Emphasis

Emphasis is the technique of giving prominence to a word, phrase, or idea to signal its importance, contrast, or focus within communication. It can be linguistic, typographic, or visual, and it functions to guide the listener or reader through information and expectations.

In spoken language, emphasis arises from prosody: changes in pitch, loudness, tempo, or stress on syllables. It is used to indicate new information, contrast with other elements, or convey attitude and emotion. In some languages, grammatical devices or fixed intonation patterns mark focus or topic structure.

In writing, emphasis is conveyed through typographic or formatting choices. Common methods include italics, bold face, underline, capitalization, or color. The chosen method often depends on the medium and audience; for example, books, newspapers, and digital interfaces have different conventions. In digital and markup contexts, emphasis is frequently encoded with tags or syntax, such as italics for emphasis or bold to indicate strong emphasis.

Historically, emphasis has migrated with materials and technologies: manuscripts relied on layout and spacing, printing introduced typographic conventions, and digital media expanded options like hyperlink cues, animation, and interactive elements. Careful use of emphasis supports information structure and accessibility, while overuse can confuse readers or diminish impact.

See also: focus, contrastive focus, rhetorical devices, typography, accessibility.