What does the accent marks in Afrikaans signify?

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1

I’ve noticed, what to me, seems an arbitrary use of accent marks in Afrikaans.

Such as in words like dít, háál, vóór, ôs.

I have no idea how to read these words nor particularly what they aim to indicate. Is it just an attempt to bring the words more in line with certain accents or rather does it refer to intonation? Any explanation would be much appreciated.

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2

The first three represent emphasis either in prose or reported speech. The fourth is a 'longer o vowel as opposed to the normal short one (I think).

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