Question: what does it mean to stress a syllable

title: Stress (linguistics)
text: In linguistics , and particularly phonology , stress or accent is relative emphasis or prominence given to a certain syllable in a word , or to a certain word in a phrase or sentence . This emphasis is typically caused by such properties as increased loudness and vowel length , full articulation of the vowel , and changes in pitch . The terms stress and accent are often used synonymously in this context , but they are sometimes distinguished . For example , when emphasis is produced through pitch alone , it is called pitch accent , and when produced through length alone , it is called quantitative accent . When caused by a combination of various intensified properties , it is called stress accent or dynamic accent ; English uses what is called variable stress accent . 

Answer: answer: Stress or accent is relative emphasis or prominence given to a certain syllable in a word, or to a certain word in a phrase or sentence.  This emphasis is typically caused by such properties as increased loudness and vowel length, full articulation of the vowel, and changes in pitch.  When emphasis is produced through pitch alone, it is called pitch accent, and when produced through length alone, it is called quantitative accent.  When caused by a combination of various intensified properties, it is called stress accent or dynamic accent; English uses what is called variable stress accent.
answer: In linguistics , and particularly phonology , stress or accent is relative emphasis or prominence given to a certain syllable in a word , or to a certain word in a phrase or sentence .