tonic accent

Definition of Tonic Accent in English :

1. pitch accent, tonic accent

emphasis that results from pitch rather than loudness

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Tonic Accent

noun

1.

emphasis imparted to a note by virtue of its having a higher pitch, rather than greater stress or long duration relative to other notes

2. another term for pitch accent

Phonetics

emphasis given to a syllable by change, esp. a rise, in pitch, rather than an increase in stress

n.
Linguistics

A stress produced by a change, especially a rise, in pitch as distinguished from increased volume. Also called pitch accent.