Locus equations are used to study the effects of phrasal accent on the F2 transitional cues to place of articulation in the speech of one professional radio announcer from the Boston University Radio News corpus. Locus equations assess the relationship between F2 at the onset of voicing and F2 at the midpoint of the vowel in CV sequences, and have been shown to differ systematically according to the consonant place of articulation (POA) (Sussman et al. 1991). Locus equations have also been claimed to provide an index of C-V coarticulation (Krull 1987, 1989). This study examines evidence from locus equations for the effect of phrasal accent on C-V coarticulation, under the hypothesis that accent conditions lesser coarticulation. Locus equation measures are taken from word-initial CV sequences, including voiced and voiceless stops in four POA groups (labial, alveolar, front velar, back velar), comparing accented and unaccented CV sequences. Results show that locus equation slope and y-intercept differ according to stop POA as found in earlier studies, and that accent conditions steeper LE slope and lower y-intercept values for each of the four POA groups. It is argued that the interpretation of these findings in terms of coarticulation is hindered by the increased VOT values observed under accent. The evidence from this study offers no support for the hypothesis that accent conditions an enhancement of phonological contrast: POA distinctions are not greater in F2 transitional space for accented CV compared to unaccented CV.