84. The relative force with which the different syllables of a word are
uttered varies. Such variation in emphasis is called _stress
accentuation_.
The degrees of stress are really infinite, but for practical purposes it
is sufficient to distinguish between (1.) the strongest stress (chief
accent); (2.) a weaker stress (secondary accent); and (3.) absence of
stress (atonic syllable). In the English _contradict_, the last syllable
has the chief accent, a secondary accent falls on the first, and the
second syllable is unstressed.
85. It is not customary to indicate the place of accents in Latin by
special signs. When, for special reasons, signs are used, ´ denotes the
chief accent, ` the secondary accent, while the unstressed syllables are
left unmarked.