Which concept states that most function words are unstressed, with content words bearing stress only for contrast or emphasis?

• A. Dialect
• B. Contrastive stress
• C. Prosody
• D. Monophthong

Answer: (B)

Contrastive stress is the idea that speakers place emphasis on a content word to highlight a difference or add emphasis, while function words like the, of, to, and are typically unstressed in natural speech. This pattern happens because content words carry the core meaning, so they’re stressed to convey contrast or focus, whereas function words are reduced to keep the rhythm smooth. For example, in the sentence "I didn't say you BROKE the vase," the emphasis on broke signals a contrast with other possibilities (perhaps someone guessed you damaged it in a different way). Similarly, stressing the vase in "I didn't say you broke the VASE" draws attention to which object is being discussed. These examples show how stress marks contrast and emphasis, which is the essence of contrastive stress. The other options describe broader or unrelated ideas: dialect is regional or social variation in language, prosody is the overall system of rhythm and intonation, and a monophthong is a type of vowel sound.