The Greek word emphasis came to Latin as emphăsis , which in our language became emphasis . This is the name given to the force that is applied in intonation when the aim is to emphasize the relevance of what is expressed.
For example: “With emphasis, the president confirmed that he will run again as a candidate in the next elections” , “The businessman's speech emphasized the statistics of the last semester” , “The lack of emphasis in the young man's response generated doubts in the police officer.”
Emphasis is usually reflected in an increase in intensity, a change in rhythm or a particular modulation when speaking. The repetition of a term or its separation into syllables also allows emphasis: “The only thing I'm going to do here is work,” “I'm not going to quit. Was it clear? "I'm not going to give up."
Some people abuse emphasis in their everyday conversations , while others use it very infrequently, or even do without it altogether. It all depends on the type of personality of each one, since the most extroverted tend to accentuate many of their words so that their messages reach the interlocutors, generating a greater impact, while the introverted ones do not want to be heard.
This way of expressing oneself, especially if the type of emphasis is based on variations in the intensity of sounds, can be perceived as a lack of respect or an impolite attitude in certain areas, where a calmer and more relaxed way is preferred. stable. For example, students should address their teachers in a respectful manner, without letting their personal feelings interfere with communication, something that also happens in companies between employees and employers.
In the field of rhetoric , emphasis is a trope that lies in the use of an expression or a term in a more limited and precise meaning than usual to accentuate a certain meaning: “You are the king” (to refer to someone who stands out from the rest because of his aptitudes or abilities, not because he is a sovereign monarch).
In this example, the use of a term out of context can also be combined with a particularly intense intonation to highlight the content or intention of the message. This may be followed by a pause, either momentary or permanent (which in written language could be expressed by a comma or a period, respectively) to increase the effect of the device. It is also possible to continue the sentence or preposition with another similar one, which also emphasizes the noun.
Let's put what was said in the previous paragraph into practical examples to understand the differences. First of all, we will begin by exposing a sentence in which there is no emphasis on the noun "king": "You are the king and for that reason you should worry about these matters" ; In this case, it may be a conversation in which a trusted person reminds the monarch of his obligations in a calm and constant tone . On the other hand, if someone says to their favorite artist "You are the king" , especially emphasizing the last word and then pausing, or adding "You are the greatest" , there is a clear emphasis on the message.
In colloquial language, finally, the concept of emphasis refers to an intensity or a special attention or dedication that is given to something: “The next congress of the Society of Writers will emphasize contemporary poetry,” “I think the government should put more emphasis on the fight against drug trafficking” , “The campaign against dengue emphasizes the importance of preventing water from accumulating in bins, buckets and other containers” .