Klemtoon

Klemtoon, in linguistics, is the prominence given to a syllable within a word when it is spoken. This prominence is produced by a combination of higher pitch, greater loudness, and sometimes longer duration. A word can have a single primary klemtoon and one or more secondary klemtonen (secondary stresses). The position of the primary klemtoon varies by language, dialect, and morphological context.

In practice, klemtoon helps to segment words into their parts and to convey rhythm and contrast. It interacts with word formation: prefixes and affixes can influence where the primary stress falls, especially in longer or derived words. Dictionaries and language teaching materials often indicate the stressed syllable to aid correct pronunciation.

In Dutch, klemtoon is a standard aspect of pronunciation and prosody. It contributes to intelligibility and the natural rhythm of speech. While stress can affect how a word sounds and how easy it is to understand in context, it does not always change the word’s meaning in Dutch in the same way that it can do in some other languages such as English. Variation in klemtoon also occurs across dialects and loanwords.

Etymology: the term derives from Dutch klem, meaning “clamp” or “pressure,” and toon, meaning “tone.” In linguistic study, klemtoon is analyzed as part of phonology and phonetics and is related to broader concepts of prosody, including intonation and rhythm.