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prosodically

prosodically

8.6
In a way that shows the rhythm, stress, and melody of speech
  • adverb
  • /prəˈsɒdɪkli/
  • Specialized
: prosódicamente
  • The production of weak syllables by young children is facilitated if these syllables can immediately follow and be prosodically organized with a preceding strong syllable.

Examples

  • The clitic was prosodically challenging because it constituted an initial weak syllable.

    Academic text (2013)
  • When reading poetry, paying attention to how words are placed prosodically can enhance the overall rhythm.

  • Or so Swinburne's late remarks suggest; and prosodically, that is what Swinburne's hexameter line does.

    Academic text (2016)
  • If children omitted the subject altogether, the clitic would be in a prosodically vulnerable (sentence-initial) position, but this vulnerability would apply equally to all three conditions.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The teacher emphasized the importance of speaking prosodically to improve the clarity of her students' presentations.

  • In a language class, we learned how to group words prosodically to make our speech sound more natural.

Surface Forms

prosodically positive

Morphology

prosodically = prosodic (transparent) = prosody + ic + ally

Forming an adverb from the adjective 'prosodic' using the regular English adverbial suffix '-ally' is a standard, predictable derivation.

Etymology

The word prosodically comes from prosody, a word from Greek that you can remember as meaning 'song' or 'melody'. So, to do something prosodically is to pay attention to the 'song' of speech — its rhythm, stress, and intonation.