The Stress

This stress mark appears as an apostrophe shape mark over the top of a letter. It is used to indicate which vowel receives the major emphasis or stress in a sentence. The primary stress is the loudest.

This stress mark appears as a slanted dash over the letter and is a secondary stress that is placed over the vowel which receives the second brightest or loudest stress in the sentence.

Vowels which receive weak stress remain unmarked.

Each sentence will have a primary stress. Thus in the sentence; stém aspuʔús, the final syllable receives the loudest stress, the first syllable receives the secondary stress, and the second syllable receives the weak stress which remains unmarked.