akzentuierte

Akzentuierte is an adjective in German derived from the verb akzentuieren. It denotes something that has received an accent or emphasis. In linguistic description, the term is commonly used for a akzentuierte Silbe, i.e., a syllable that bears the primary or secondary stress. In typography, akzentuierte Zeichen refers to letters that carry diacritical marks, such as ä, é or ô. The form can be used attributively (eine akzentuierte Silbe, akzentuierte Zeichen) or predicatively (die Silbe ist akzentuiert).

Etymology and meaning are central to the term. Akzent comes from the French accent, which in turn traces back to Latin accentus. The German verb akzentuieren was formed with the -ieren suffix, yielding the participle akzentuiert and the adjective form akzentuiert/akzentuierte depending on grammatical role. The sense of the word encompasses both linguistic stress and the graphical marking of characters.

Contexts and usage. In phonology and prosody, akzentuierte Silben determine rhythm and meaning, particularly in languages with fixed or contrastive stress patterns. In orthography, akzentuierte Zeichen are letters that carry diacritics and help represent distinct sounds or foreign words. In music and other performance contexts, akzentuierte Noten or Passagen describe notes or passages given emphasis. While closely related to synonyms like betont or Hervorhebung, akzentuierte emphasizes the specific marking or placement of an accent.

See also: Akzent, Akzentuierung, Betonung, Diakritische Zeichen.