rhetorical accent

1 7.8

A way of speaking that puts extra stress on certain words or tones to make a point

noun
/rɪˈtɔrɪkəl ˈæksɛnt/

: acento retórico

The speaker used rhetorical accent to highlight important parts of his message.

Examples

Her skillful use of rhetorical accent made her arguments more persuasive.
The speaker used a strong rhetorical accent to emphasize key points.
Good orators often rely on rhetorical accent for dramatic effect during speeches.
Can you identify the rhetorical accent in her speech?
Good orators often rely on rhetorical accent for dramatic effect during speeches.
Her skillful use of rhetorical accent made her arguments more persuasive.
The speaker used rhetorical accent to highlight important parts of his message.

Synonyms

emphasis

vsrhetorical accent

Specialized

1 3.7

Stress that makes a syllable or musical note stronger

is used in spoken lines to highlight words for clarity or effect

accenting

vsrhetorical accent

1 5.3

To give more attention to one part to make it stand out

is used on specific speech tones or words to improve clarity

accentuation

vsrhetorical accent

Specialized

1 6.7

Putting extra stress on one syllable or word when speaking

is a focused vocal stress used to clarify or add dramatic effect

Antonyms

monotone

5 5.8

Said or sung in the same tone without change

How Emphatic

rhetorical accent

1 7.8

emphasis

268 3.1

Surface Forms

rhetorical accent singular

rhetorical accents plural

Morphology

rhetorical + accent

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'rhetorical' (pertaining to persuasive or stylistic language) with 'accent' (emphasis). This composition — an emphasis used for rhetorical effect — follows regular English compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Rhetorical accent comes from the image of a speaker giving extra stress to a word, like putting an accent on it with their voice. So, it means using tone or stress 'to emphasize' part of a message and make it clearer.