◄Previous: 5 Contrasting Spanish and English: placement of nuclear stress

# 5.1 Repeated information

In English, repeated information at the end of a sentence is generally deaccented, thus nuclear accent falls on an earlier word in the sentence. In Spanish, nuclear accent is normally kept at the end of the intonational phrase, even if it falls on noninformative words that constitute repeated information.

ENG You want your coffee with SUgar or withOUT sugar?
SP ¿El café lo quieres con aZÚcar o sin aZÚcar?

Similarly, where the prefix is the object of correction and everything else is repeated, the nuclear accent is placed on that syllable in English.

It is not an IMport business, it is an EXport business.

Whereas in Spanish, it is common to keep the accent on the lexically stressed syllable.

No es un negocio de importaCIÓN, es un negocio de exportaCIÓN.

◄Contents►Next: 5.2 Indefinite objects

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