New information/old information.
New information usually receives prominence, while old
information doesn’t. Old information is something that has
already been mentioned in the conversation, or something
that the speaker assumes the listener knows about already.
New information is just that—information, facts, or opinions
that the speaker wants to tell the listener for the !rst time.
Since new information is usually more fresh and interesting
than what we already know, it’s easy to see why it is
emphasized. Look at these examples:
A: Where do you want to go for LUNCH?
B: How about going to that new Italian RESTaurant?
A: Well, I think I’d rather have MEXican food.
In English, new information often comes toward the end of a
sentence. The subject usually names the topic—something
that we’ve already been talking about. The verb phrase is the
comment—some new information that we want the listener
to know about the subject. Because of this, this rule matches
well with the previous one.
Emphasis (emphatic stress)
If the speaker wants to emphasize or highlight a word or
idea, that word can receive prominence. For example:
No, you may NOT play in the street.
A lot of people like CHOColate, but I REALly love it.A: Thank you for coming to my PARty.
B: Thank YOU for inviting me.Words that are emphasized in this way are often content
words, but function words can also receive prominence if that
helps communicate the meaning of the sentence.I said you can have a cookie OR some candy. You can’t
have BOTH.HE said it; SHE didn’t.A: Finish your HOMEwork!
B: But I HAVE !nished my homework.Contrast (contrastive stress)
If it’s important for a speaker to show that two words or ideas
are di"erent from each other, those words can both receive
prominence. This is very similar to emphatic stress. The
speaker is emphasizing two words because they contrast with
each other.
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