atonic
- adjective
- /əˈtɒnɪk/
- Specialized
:
átono
- Unstressed, or atonic, syllables are common in English polysyllabic words.
Examples
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The second syllable of 'computer' is atonic.
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In the word 'banana', the middle syllable is atonic.
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The linguist noted that the final syllable of the word was atonic.
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In the word 'banana', the first syllable is atonic.
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In the word 'banana', the first syllable is atonic.
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The linguist explained that the third syllable of 'photography' is atonic.
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Unstressed syllables, also described as atonic, are prevalent in many English words.
Synonyms
1
7.7
A vowel or syllable with little stress when spoken
A part of a word not said with strong emphasis, like the second syllable of banana
A part of a word people do not pronounce with stress and say more softly than other parts
Parts of words that you say without strong stress
Antonyms
How Stressed
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Atonic comes from the Greek parts a- 'not' and tonos 'tone', the same root as English tone and tonic. In language, an atonic syllable is 'without' stress or strong tone, so it sounds weaker than the stressed syllables.