Search and compare thousands of words and phrases in American Sign Language (ASL). The largest collection online.
How to sign: distinctive manner of oral expression
"he couldn't suppress his contemptuous accent"; "she had a very clear speech pattern";
Similiar / Same: speech pattern
Categories: pronunciation
Within this category: drawl
How to sign: to stress, single out as important
"Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet";
Similiar / Same: stress, emphasize, accentuate, emphasise, punctuate
Categories: evince, express, show
Within this category: background, bear down, bring out, drive home, point up, re-emphasise, topicalize, underscore
How to sign: special importance or significance
"the red light gave the central figure increased emphasis"; "the room was decorated in shades of gray with distinctive red accents";
Similiar / Same: emphasis
Categories: grandness, importance
Within this category: stress
How to sign: the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people
"the immigrants spoke an odd dialect of English"; "he has a strong German accent";
Similiar / Same: dialect, idiom
Categories: non-standard speech
Within this category: eye dialect, patois