Late Proto-Slavic accentual system was based on the fundamental opposition of short / long circumflex ( falling ) tone, and the acute ( rising ) tone, position of the ictus being free as is the state of affairs inherited from Serbian ), though the discrepancy between codified norm and actually spoken speech may significantly vary.
22.
The accentual system of Latin is well-known, partly from statements by Roman grammarians and partly from agreements among the Romance languages on the location of tonic accent : the tonic accent in Latin fell three syllables before the end of any word with three or more syllables, unless the second-to-last syllable ( called the " penult " in classical linguistics ) was " heavy ", i . e . contained a diphthong, a long vowel, or was followed by two or more consonants, in which case that syllable has the tonic accent.
