Enfático

Enfático is an adjective used to describe something that expresses emphasis. In everyday Spanish, it can refer to words or intonation that stress a point. In linguistics, enfático denotes features that mark emphasis at a phonetic or grammatical level, including emphatic pronunciation or rhetorical constructions intended to strengthen a statement.

Emphatic consonants are a class of sounds produced with a secondary articulation that gives them a stronger, heavier quality. They occur in several language groups, most notably in Semitic languages. In these languages the consonants are often described as pharyngealized or velarized, and they can color adjacent vowels. An often-cited set in Arabic corresponds to certain emphatic realizations of s, d, t, and z; the exact articulation varies by language. The presence of emphatics can influence vowel quality, favoring backer or darker vowels nearby.

In grammar and rhetoric, enfático can describe constructions or intonation patterns that express emphasis. This includes increased volume, higher pitch, stress on a word, or the use of parallelism, repetition, or exclamations designed to highlight a point. In linguistic theory, the term helps distinguish features that actively contrast with non-emphatic forms.

See also: Emphatic consonant; Emphasis; Prosody.