UMfahren vs. UmFAHren. Die Rolle des Wortakzents bei trennbar und untrennbar gebrauchten Verben
UMfahren vs. UmFAHren. The Role of Word Stress in Separable and Inseparable Verbs)

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the present paper is to address the particularities of German word stress and to highlight its distinctive function. This phenomenon is completely foreign to the Slovak language, which makes it especially important to pay attention to correct word stress when learning German as a foreign language. The primary function of word stress, used in this paper synonymously with word accent, is considered to be its distinctive function. This function is particularly relevant because stress can change the meaning of words that are spelled identically. In languages where word accent is tied to a fixed syllable, word stress does not have a distinctive function. That is, an arbitrary shift of stress to another syllable in a word does not change its meaning, even if the word may sound unusual to native speakers. In contrast, languages with movable word stress, such as English, German, or Russian, allow the position of stress to influence not only meaning but also the morphological structure and syntax of a word. This is especially relevant for German verbs with prefixes that can be either separable or inseparable, as stress determines their grammatical and syntactic interpretation. The paper provides illustrative examples and detailed explanations to clarify the theoretical claims and make them comprehensible for learners and linguists alike. Thus, the article contributes to a better understanding of word accentuation in German, its functional role within the linguistic system, and the differences compared to languages without a distinctive word accent. This is particularly relevant for the field of German as a foreign language, as correct stress enhances not only comprehensibility but also communicative precision.

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