4 Unit 5 RULES OF WORD STRESS 5.0 Introduction Objective: to enable participants to make generalizations about the location of stress in words. eneralizi Here are a few rules of word stress. These will help you, locate stress in words. 5.1. Functional shift of stress There are a number of words of two syllables in which the accentual pattern depends on whether the word is used as a noun, an adjective or a verb. When Jy f+ the word is used as a noun or an adjective, the stress is on the frst syllable. When the word is used as @ verb, the stress is on the second syllable. Here are a few examples: Noun/Adjective Verb ‘absent absent ‘object object ‘subject subject ‘permit per'mit ‘record record ‘progress ro'gress ‘produce produce ‘perfect perfect ‘increase in'crease ‘decrease de'crease ‘present Pre'sent Some additional pairs of words spelt identically, in which the accentual pattern varies according to function can be found in the list given in A.C.Gimsor’s, An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English A. List at least ten more two syllable words which follow the rule stated above, i.c., functional shift of stress. Noun/Ad Verb 3B 4 —__ 245.2 Words with prefixes/suffixes: their stress patterns Here we discuss words with prefixes /suffixes in terms of their stress patterns. 5.2.1. Words with weak prefixes A. Words with weak prefixes are accented on the root. alone a'loud ad'mit a'mount apart a'float accept atbove about B. Prefixes ‘disloyal ‘insincere ‘logical ‘half-finished the last syllable. dis'arm dis'band dis'cern dis‘close dis'count dis'grace dis'guise 5.2.2. Verbs of two syllables bellow com'pose be'come befall de'velop reduce between be'gin be'hold believe be'side negative connotations get stressed. Verbs of two syllables beginning with the prefix dis- are stressed on dismay dis'pel dis'miss dissolve distend disturb distress Verbs of two syllables ending in -ate, ise/-ize, -ct are stressed on the last syllable. ate narrate mi'grate de’bate lo'cate pul'sate vib'rate 26 size capsize bapttize ct attract -\ con'nect depict in'fect injectcise sellect chastise protect com'prise 523. Words ending in -ion, ical, -ically, -ially, -ian, -ious, -eous ‘A. Words ending in -ion have the stress on the penultimate (ie,, the last but one) syllable. appli‘cation civilization composition conver'sation culti'vation examination qualification intro'duction imagi'nation ‘question sug'gestion con'gestion indi'gestion B. Words ending in -ic/-ical/-ically, -ial/-ially, -ian have the stress on the syllable preceding the suffix. sic apolo'getic ellectric sympa'thetic patriotic scien'tific cical apolo'getical sically apololgetically dial me'morial official presidential in'dustrial ‘special resi'dential cere'monial U7ces'sential superficial cially officially ‘specially cs'sentially super'figally ian Victorian brarian electrician musician politician disciplin‘arian CC. Words ending in -ious, -cous have the stresé on the penultimate (ie the last but one) syllable. sous ‘anxious 'piteous in'dustrious cou'rageous injurious "gorgeous laborious ‘hideous re’bellious ‘righteous victorious simultaneous spontaneous advan'tageous 24 Words ending in cat, -ie/ize, fy -ity crac, -rat-graphy -e1aphy, -meter, -logy syllables ending in -ate, -isel-ize, ify are ‘A. Words of more than two Jtimate syllable (.e., third from the end). stressed on the ante-pentl ise. -ize ify ‘complicate ‘colonise ‘justify ‘separate(v) ‘enterprise ‘classify ‘educate "prutalise "eautify ‘cultivate ‘patronise ‘certify ar'ticulate ‘realize ‘gratify ‘recognise ‘modify mo'nopolize ‘nullify ‘jeopardise 'satisty 28Words endin, fice sity aby 3B in -ity have the stress on the ante-penultimate syllable » third from the end) lec tricity Possibility activity quality Probability curiosity Bencrosity Words ending in -cracy, -crat have the stress on the ante-penultimate syllable (i.e., third from the end). sctacy scrat au'tocracy ‘autocrat de'mocracy ‘democrat tech'nocracy ‘technocrat plu'tocracy 'plutocrat aris'tocracy ‘bureaucrat bu'reaucracy D. Words ending in -graph, -graphy, -meter, -logy have the stress on the ante-penultimate syllable (ie, third from the end). =graph graphy. =meter clogy. ‘autograph pholtography _ther'mometer_psy'chology ‘paragraph specttrography lacttometer biology ‘photograph biography diameter zoology ‘spectrograph parameter 5.2.5 Words stressed on the suffix Words ending with the suffixes -ain, -aire, -eer, -ental, -ential, -ese, sesce, -escence, -escent, -esque, -ique, -itis, -ee, -ette -ete, -ade are stressed on the suffix. ae seer obtain millio'naire engineer maintain questionnaire volunteer per'tain career ‘frain marke'teer asc ex’plain retain 29ental sential experimental existential ? Bur'mese funda'mental provildential Chinese acci'dental presidential , Assa'mese dopart’mental Fapalnese parental Sia'mese incildental sesce escence escent coa'lesce cffer'vescence adolescent convallesce ado'lescence etfervescent acquiesce convalescent esque sigue sitis picturesque phy'sique nets grotesque whnique arthritis burlesque critique bron'citis tech'nigue laryngitis sate pay'ee etiquette delete addres'see cigarette replete employ'ce gazette conterete (v) abseritee silhou'ette com'plete barricade castade de'grade lemo'nade per'suade Activity B Mark the primary accent on the following words and say them correctly Gry and apply the rules we have discussed aboye). ability authorise ———— antique Se biology nT ne canteen el cigarette ae capacity nl colonize TN collectionVv doctrinaire dramatic electricity clemental etficient experience magician mechanic ornamental optician Pioneer realization referee remedial society specific Now look them up in a pronouncing dictionary and make corrections wherever necessary. You may transcribe these words in the space provided. Try and pronounce them correctly. 5.2.6 Inflectional suffixes that do not affect the stress The inflectional suffixes -es, -ing, -ed and the derivational suffixes sage, -ance, -en-er, -ess, -ful, -hood, -ice, -ish, -ive, -less, -ly, -ment, - ness, -or, -ship, -ter, ure, -y,-zen do not normally affect the stress, Here are a few examples: match ‘matches, be'gin be'ginning want ‘wanted break "breakage ap'pear ap'pearance bright ‘brighten write ‘writer god ‘goddess care ‘careful child ‘childhood ‘coward ‘cowardice fool ‘foolish attract attractive aim ‘aimless bad ‘badlyapipoint ap'pointment ‘bitter ‘bitterness ‘conquer ‘conqueror ‘fellow “fellowship laugh “laughter fail ‘failure blood "oloody ity ‘citizen You should note that we do not mark stress in mono-syllabic words, Le, words of one syllable. 5.3 Accent in compound words ‘As you know compound words are made up of two words which may be written as one word with or without a hyphen. Most compound words have the primary stress on the first element. For example: ‘blacksmith ‘blackbird ‘dining-room ‘tea-party ‘There are, however, a few compound words which have the stress on the second clement. They are mostly compounds with -ever and -self. For example: however when'ever him'self her'self Sometimes both elements are stressed, but the primary stress is on the second element. For example: - after'noon old-fashioned absent-minded In ‘afternoon ‘party the primary stress shifts to the first syllable. In words of three elements the primary stress is on the second element. For example: hot ‘water bottle waste ‘paper basket 5.4 Stress shift in derivatives. Here are a few examples: academy —_— academic acade'mician ‘photograph photographer photo'graphic ‘politics political politician 32