Fundamental Questions & Answers about Tonic Accent and Graphic Accent
What is Tonic Accent?
Answer: Tonic accent is the elevation of the voice to highlight a syllable of a word in relation to the others. It is the syllable that receives the most intensity in pronunciation.
What is the difference between Tonic Accent and Graphic Accent?
Answer: Tonic accent refers to the sound of the word, that is, the syllable that is pronounced with more strength. On the other hand, the graphic accent is the visual representation of this sound intensity, marked in writing by signs such as acute (´), circumflex (^), and tilde (~).
What are the types of words according to the position of the Tonic Accent?
Answer: There are four types of words according to the position of the tonic accent: oxytones (last tonic syllable), paroxytones (penultimate tonic syllable), proparoxytones (antepenultimate tonic syllable), and tonic monosyllables (when the only syllable of the word is tonic).
In what situation is a word graphically accented?
Answer: A word is graphically accented to indicate the tonic syllable when it deviates from the phonetic pattern of the Portuguese language. This occurs, for example, in oxytone words ending in a, e, o, em (and their plurals), paroxytones that do not end with the letters of the oxytone pattern, and all proparoxytones.
What are the main graphic accents in Portuguese?
Answer: The main graphic accents in Portuguese are the acute accent (´), which indicates the open or closed pronunciation of the tonic vowel; the circumflex accent (^), which usually indicates the closed pronunciation of the tonic vowel; and the tilde (~), which indicates the nasalization of the vowel.
What are diphthongs and how are they accented?
Answer: Diphthongs are combinations of two vowels pronounced in a single syllable. Diphthongs can be graphically accented when they are open (éi, ói, éu) in oxytone words or when they occur in paroxytones, following the general accentuation rules.
Are there exceptions to the rules of graphic accentuation?
Answer: Yes, there are words that are not graphically accented even though they have tonic syllables in positions that would generally be accented, such as paroxytones ending in rising diphthong vowel combinations that do not take a graphic accent, for example, 'area'.
How were the rules of graphic accentuation affected by the New Orthographic Agreement?
Answer: The New Orthographic Agreement eliminated some graphic accents. For example, it stopped accentuating the tonic 'i' and 'u' when preceded by a diphthong in paroxytone words, as in 'feiura', and the differential accents in words like 'pelo' (noun) and 'pelo' (contraction of the preposition 'per' with the article 'o').
Always remember: practice makes perfect! Explore the words around you and observe the tonic and graphic accent to consolidate your knowledge.
Questions & Answers by Difficulty Level
Basic Q&A
What defines a syllable as tonic?
Answer: A syllable is tonic when it is pronounced with more intensity compared to the other syllables of the word.
When do we use the acute accent and the circumflex accent?
Answer: The acute accent (´) is used to indicate that the tonic vowel has an open or closed pronunciation, and the circumflex accent (^) to mark that the pronunciation is closed.
How to identify an oxytone word?
Answer: A word is oxytone when the last syllable is tonic, meaning it has more emphasis in pronunciation.
Guidelines
Focus on identifying the tonic syllable in simple everyday words and remember the graphic signs that represent the intensity of pronunciation.
Intermediate Q&A
Which paroxytone words are accented?
Answer: Paroxytone words are accented when they end in l, n, r, x, ps, ã, ão, ãs, om (followed or not by s), open diphthongs éi, ói, éu, and in other endings that are not typical of oxytone words.
What are hiatus and how do they influence accentuation?
Answer: Hiatus are the encounter of two vowels that appear in separate syllables, like 'sa-í-da'. The tonic i and u are accented when they come after a vowel and are alone in the syllable or followed only by 's'.
Is there a difference between accentuation of verbs and nouns?
Answer: The accentuation rule applies equally to verbs and nouns. What matters for accentuation is the position of the tonic syllable in the word and the word endings, not its grammatical class.
Guidelines
Analyze the structure of more complex words and practice syllable separation to correctly identify the position of the tonic accent.
Advanced Q&A
What are the exceptions to the general accentuation rules in verbs?
Answer: A notable exception is the 'oo' hiatus rule, present in words like 'voo' and 'enjoo', which were accented before the Orthographic Agreement (vôo, enjôo) and now no longer carry an accent.
How can graphic accentuation change the meaning of a word?
Answer: The use of graphic accent can differentiate words that are spelled identically but have different meanings, such as 'sabia' (verb 'to know') and 'sabia' (the bird).
What is the impact of tonicity on the accentuation rules of compound words?
Answer: In compound words, the tonicity of each element must be considered. If the second element is tonic, it will dictate the accentuation. If it is atonic, the accentuation will follow that of the first element.
Guidelines
Explore special cases of the language and observe how graphic accentuation can affect the meaning and classification of words. Reflect on examples from everyday life and more formal readings.
PRACTICAL Q&A
Applied Q&A
In a literary text, how can the choice of tonic and graphic accent influence the construction of the atmosphere or narrative rhythm?
Answer: The appropriate choice of tonic and graphic accent can have a significant impact on the atmosphere of a literary text and the narrative rhythm. The tonic accent is essential for the metrics of poems and songs, where tonic and atonic syllables are deliberately organized to create a specific rhythm. The graphic accent, in turn, helps the reader understand the correct tonicity of words and, consequently, the fluency and rhythm of reading. When an author creatively manipulates tonic and graphic accents, this can change the stress on certain words, highlighting them and contributing to greater expressiveness, emphasis, and the generation of deeper expectations regarding the text.
Experimental Q&A
How to create an educational game that helps reinforce understanding of tonic and graphic accent among students?
Answer: To create an educational game focused on tonic and graphic accent, one can start by developing a set of cards containing various words, some already graphically accented and others not. The goal would be to classify the words into groups corresponding to the type of tonic accent (oxytone, paroxytone, proparoxytone) and decide whether the word needs a graphic accent or not, according to the rules of the Portuguese language. The game can include a timer to add a time challenge element and scores for correct answers. To make the game more interactive, challenge rounds can be included where players create sentences using the classified words, emphasizing correct pronunciation and the proper use of graphic accents. The game will serve not only to practice accentuation rules but also to promote understanding of the importance of accent in effective communication.
