hangsúlyozása

Hangsúlyozása is the process of emphasizing or giving prominence to a particular element in communication. In linguistic and rhetorical contexts it refers to making a syllable, word, phrase, or idea stand out through prosody, intonation, or textual devices. The term is formed from hangsúly (emphasis, weight of sound) with the verbal suffix -oz- and the noun suffix -ása, indicating the act or process of emphasizing.

In linguistics, hangsúlyozása encompasses both prosodic emphasis in speech and strategic emphasis in discourse. Prosodic emphasis involves changes in intonation, pitch, loudness, and duration to highlight selected information. Contrastive or focused emphasis often marks new or important information within a sentence. In writing, emphasis can be conveyed by punctuation, typography (italics or bold in digital texts), or syntactic positioning to draw reader attention to a key point.

Hungarian prosody traditionally features stress on the first syllable of a word, with emphasis in larger utterances typically achieved through intonation and word order rather than shifting lexical stress. Hangsúlyozása as a concept also appears in pedagogy, journalism, and rhetoric, where it is used to guide audiences, structure arguments, and clarify meaning. Overuse can diminish its effectiveness or cause ambiguity, underscoring the need for deliberate and context-appropriate application.

See also: hangsúly, intonáció, kiemelés, stilisztika.