prominent (adj.)

A term used in AUDITORY PHONETICS to refer to the degree to which a sound or SYLLABLE stands out from others in its ENVIRONMENT. Variations in LENGTH, PITCH, STRESS and inherent SONORITY are all factors which contribute to the relative prominence of a UNIT. An abstract sense of the term is often used in PHONOLOGY; for example, in METRICAL PHONOLOGY, it refers to the relative weight between CONSTITUENTS in a metrical TREE, defined in terms of the values of s (‘stronger than’) and w (‘weaker than’).