1. Tertiary Stress: This is a term used in some phonological analyses to refer to a weaker level of stress in a word, after primary and secondary stress. It's often used in languages with complex stress systems, where more than just two levels of stress are needed.
2. Tertiary Accents in Prosody: In prosody, a tertiary accent could potentially refer to a weaker emphasis on a syllable or word within a phrase or sentence, compared to the more prominent primary and secondary accents. However, this is not a widely recognized term in prosodic analysis.
3. A Misunderstanding: It's possible that you've encountered the term "tertiary accent" in a non-linguistic context, perhaps referring to a minor stylistic feature or a type of accent that is not formally defined.
To better understand what you mean by "tertiary accent," please provide more context:
* What language are you referring to?
* Where did you encounter this term?
* What is the specific example you are thinking of?
With more information, I can give you a more accurate and helpful response.