Paroxytones

Paroxytones are words that are stressed on the second-to-last syllable. This is a common stress pattern in many languages, including English. For example, in the word "computer," the stress falls on the syllable "pu," making it a paroxytone. Other English examples include "banana," "table," and "happy."

The concept of paroxytone stress is important in phonology and linguistics, as it affects pronunciation and can be a distinguishing feature of different languages or dialects. In some languages, word stress is highly regular and follows predictable patterns like paroxytone. In others, stress can be more variable or unpredictable.

Identifying paroxytones can be useful for learners of a new language as it helps with correct pronunciation and understanding. It can also play a role in poetic meter and rhythm. The term itself comes from Greek, meaning "near falling," referring to the stress falling on a syllable close to the end of the word. While English has many paroxytones, it also has words with stress on other syllables, such as oxytone (last syllable) or proparoxytone (third-to-last syllable).