1. STRESS
DEFINITION
Stress may be described as the degree of force with which a
sound or syllable is uttered. Syllables which are pronounced with
a greater degree of force than the neighbouring syllables in a
word or sentence are said to be stressed. Syllables pronounced
with a relatively small degree of force are said to be unstressed.
THE NATURE OF STRESS
All stressed syllables have one characteristic in common which is
called PROMINENCE. A stressed syllable stands more
prominently than its immediate neighbours. There are four factors
that make it prominent:
2. 1. LOUDNESS: If one syllable is made louder than the
others, it will be heard as stressed.
2. LENGTH: If a syllable is made longer than others that
syllable is heard as stressed.
3. PITCH: Pitch is related to the frequency of vibration of
the vocal cords. If one syllable is uttered with a pitch quality
noticeably different from that of the others it will produce
the effect of prominence.
4. CHANGE OF VOWEL SOUND: In the English
language the vowels most frequently occurring in weak
syllables are /ɪ/, /u/, and /ə/. Syllabic consonants are also
quite common. The syllables with other vowels are heard to
be stressed because of the contrast.
3. These four factors work together in combination to give
prominence to a syllable which is then heard to be stressed.
However, pitch is the most important factor in making a syllable
prominent so that it is heard as stressed. The other factors are
comparatively less important.
EXAMPLES OF STRESS ON DIFFERENT SYLLABLES
1st Syllable 2nd Syllable 3rd Syllable
ˈfɑːðə əˈlaʊd ˌækəˈdemɪk
ˈhæpi pəˈhæps ˌfəʊtəˈɡræfɪk
ˈriːzən ɪnˈfɜː ˌdeməˈkrætɪk
4. LEVELS OF STRESS
• Three levels of stress can be identified.
1. PRIMARY STRESS: In every word of two or more syllables
in the English language one syllable must be stressed. The
strongest type of stress is the result of high pitch quality. It is
called PRIMARY STRESS. It is represented in transcription by a
high mark before the stressed syllable.
2. SECONDARY STRESS: In some words (generally of three
or more syllables) a type of stress is heard which is weaker than
the primary stress and yet not completely lacking in prominence.
Such stress is called SECONDARY STRESS. It is represented in
transcription by a low mark.
6. Rules of Word Stress in English
Because of the nature of word-stress in English its placement within a
word is difficult to predict and is a complex matter. However, word-
stress does have certain patterns and some rules can be framed. In order
to decide on stress placement the following information is required:
1. The number of syllables in the word.
2. The grammatical category to which the word belongs ( noun, verb,
adjective etc)
3. Whether the word is morphologically simple or whether it is a
complex as a result of containing one or more affixes (prefixes or
suffixes) or because it is a compound word.
4. The phonological structure of the syllables in the word.
The rules of stress placement are complex and most rules have
exceptions. Still these rules are useful in as much as they provide
general guidance.
7. TWO-SYLLABLE WORDS
VERBS
1. The first syllable is stressed if:
i. The final syllable contains a short vowel and one (or no) final
consonant, e.g., ˈentə, ˈəʊpən
ii. The final syllable contains / əu /, e.g., ˈfɒləʊ, ˈbɒrəʊ
2. The SECOND syllable is stressed if:
i. The final syllable contains a long vowel or diphthong, e.g.,
əˈplaɪ, əˈraɪv
ii. The final syllable ends with more than one consonant, e.g.,
əˈtrækt, əˈsɪst
8. ADJECTIVES
The rules applicable to verbs also apply to adjectives, e.g.,
ˈlʌvli, əˈlaɪv
EXCEPTION: ˈɒnɪst , ˈpɜːfikt
ADVERBS & PREPOSITIONS
Generally behave like verbs and adjectives, e.g.,
ˈhɑːdli, ˈɡreɪtli
NOUNS
The first syllable is usually stressed if the second syllable
contains a short vowel. Otherwise the stress will fall on the
SECOND syllable, e.g., ˈmʌni, ˈprɒdʌkt, bəˈluːn, dɪˈzaɪn
9. THREE-SYLLABLE WORDS
VERBS
1. The PENULTIMATE (just before the last one) syllable is
stressed if the last syllable contains a short vowel and ends with
not more than one consonant, e.g., dɪˈtɜːmɪn, dɪsˈkʌvə
2. The FINAL syllable is stressed if it contains a long vowel or
diphthong, or ends with more than one consonant, e.g., entəˈteɪn,
æsəˈteɪn
NOUNS
1. The PENULTIMATE syllable is stressed if it contains a long
vowel or diphthong and the first and final syllables have short
vowels, e.g., pəˈteɪtəʊ, dɪˈzɑːstə
2. The FIRST syllable is stressed if the second and third syllables
have short vowels, e.g., ˈsɪnəmə, ˈkʌstədi
10. COMPOUND WORDS WITH STRESS ON THE
FIRST SYLLABLE
• Book Binding
• Day Break
• Dining-Room
• Fire Place
• Hair Brush
• Wind Screen
• School Master
• Sitting Room
• Tea Party
• Water Proof
• Key Hole
• House Keeper
11. FEATURES OF WORD STRESS IN
ENGLISH
1. Stress in English is variable which means that
the syllable which carries the stress in English
words is not fixed unlike other languages.
2. Stress in English is mobile. The mobility of
stress means that it shifts from one syllable to
another when a word changes its grammatical
category. In English, the stress may fall on the
first syllable in a noun whereas in the verb
related to the same noun, the stress may shift to
the third or even later syllable.
12. EXAMPLES
Academy(Noun) Academic (Adjective)
Stress shits from 2nd to 3rd syllable
Strategy (Noun) Strategic (Adjective)
Stress shifts from 1st to 2nd Syllable
Economy (Noun) Economic (Adjective)
Stress shifts from 2nd to 3rd Syllable
Psychology (Noun) Psychological (Adjective)
Stress shifts from 2nd to 3rd Syllable
Symbol (Noun) Symbolic (Adjective)
Stress shifts from 1st to 2nd Syllable
