Enfatizam

Enfatizam is a term used in some linguistic and rhetorical contexts to refer to the act or devices of emphasizing a part of a message. It encompasses how information is highlighted in both spoken and written language and is closely related to the general concept of emphasis in communication.

Etymology and usage vary by language, but the term generally denotes emphasis as a pragmatic or stylistic feature. In linguistic analysis, enfatizam covers markers or strategies that signal focus, contrast, or importance within a sentence. It is commonly encountered in discussions of information structure, discourse marking, and expressive nuance, and may be described in relation to how speakers or writers draw attention to a particular element.

In practice, emphatic emphasis manifests in several ways. In speech, it is produced through prosodic features such as higher volume, increased loudness, stronger stress on syllables, longer vowels, higher or more variable pitch, and deliberate tempo changes. In writing, emphasis is conveyed by typographic choices like bold or italic text, capitalization, or exclamation marks, as well as through syntactic constructions such as fronting or cleft sentences that foreground a topic.

Enfatizam thus functions as a broad label for techniques that heighten the salience of a part of a statement, serving purposes ranging from clarification and emphasis to contrast and emotional nuance. Related concepts include general emphasis, emphatic devices, and the study of prosody and discourse marking.