Seyyed Heydar Shirazi

Abstract: Syllabic stress is one of the suprasegmental components of spoken language that may impact the semantic differentiation of various forms of "mā" within sentence structures. This influence is evident in its capacity to acoustically aid the listener in achieving a more accurate understanding of the intended meanings. Furthermore, adherence to "stress" enhances speech fluency and articulateness in expression. Consequently, the potency of stress at the syllabic level within lexical items, irrespective of its varying degrees of strength or weakness, constitutes the central subject of this investigation. The research delineates the syllabic configurations of different instances of "mā" in the Holy Quran, analyzed independently of additional phonetic factors. "ma" functions as either a noun or a particle is often exhibits an elongated form with stress that carries phonetic significance. Analyzing "ma" phonetically cannot occur in isolation; its intensity fluctuates depending on adjacent syllables and is fundamentally shaped by the recitation practices of Quranic readers alongside established rules. The significance of examining the linguistic stress on "ma" becomes apparent when considering its semantic variations across different forms, including (عما) as relative or supplementary, (كما) as nominal or relative, (أين+ما) as conditional or interrogative, (إما) as conditional or detailed, and (إنما وأنما) as relative or inclusive, along with various nominal or verbal constructions involving "ma" and similar expressions. This study adopts a descriptive-analytical and comparative approach that emphasizes linguistic stress over orthographic representation, focusing specifically on syllabic rather than verbal stress within the framework of verses from the Holy Quran.