Stressed vs Unstressed Syllables

Stress Patterns

By KHO CHUNG WEI

In this lecture, you will:

• Indicate the stress in simple words

• Indicate complex word stress

• Analyse the stress timing in sentences​

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Stress in simple words

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Listen to this nonsensical word.

Which syllable is stressed? Why?

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Stress = the combination of features which makes certain syllables seem more prominent than others​

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Stress in simple words

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Stress in simple words

Levels of stress

• two-level analysis: stressed & unstressed

• three-level analysis:

1. primary stress = the strongest type of stress - results from pitch movement, i.e. tone, e.g. əˈraʊnd

2. secondary stress = weaker than primary stress but stronger than unstressed, e.g.ˌfəʊ.təˈɡræf.ɪk

3. unstressed = absence of any recognisable amount of prominence

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Stress in simple words

Stress placement

• property of individual words?

• a highly complex matter - all the rules have exceptions

• Stress placement rules depend on:

1. whether the word is morphologically simple or complex

2. grammatical category of the word (content words or function words)

3. number of syllables in the word

4. phonological structure of the syllables

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Multiple Choice

For monosyllabic words, when pronounced in isolation, they are said with...

• primary stress

• secondary stress

• unstressed

Open Ended

Two-syllable verbs & adjectives

əˈplaɪ, əˈraɪv, dəʊˈneɪt, dɪˈvaɪn, əˈtrækt, kəˈrekt

For verbs and adjectives, the second syllable is stressed when the second syllable contains...

Open Ended

Two-syllable verbs & adjectives

ˈentə, ˈenvi, ˈlʌvli, ˈəʊpn̩, ˈiːvn̩, ˈfɒləʊ, ˈhɒləʊ

For verbs and adjectives, the second syllable is unstressed when the second syllable contains...

Open Ended

Two-syllable nouns

ˈmʌni, ˈprɒdʌkt, ˈlærɪŋks, ɪˈsteɪt, bəˈluːn, dɪˈzaɪn

For nouns, the second syllable is unstressed when the second syllable contains...

Stress in simple words

Stress placement guidelines

• Words consisting of two or three syllables

  Rough guide: primary stress on first syllable, e.g. ˈkʌl.tʃə, ˈhezɪtn̩t, ˈməʊtɪveɪt

• Longer words (four or more syllables)

  Rough guide: there is a tendency for the antepenultimate syllable to have primary stress, i.e. the last but two, e.g. ˌkredəˈbɪləti, kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt,

  ˌmeθədl̩ˈɒdʒɪkl̩

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Complex word stress

Prefix words

• Rough guide: in shorter words beginning with a prefix, the primary stress typically falls on the syllable following the prefix: ˌɪntəˈfɪərn̩s, ɪnˈtend, ɪkˈspəʊz, kəˈnekt, ʌnˈveɪl

  Exception: a large number of nouns, e.g. ˈaʊtpʊt, ˈɪn.tə.luːd, ˈkɒŋ.ɡres, ˈæbsn̩s

• Numerous verbs with prefixes are distinguished from nouns by stress (switch stress). The noun generally has stress on the prefix, while the verb has stress on the syllable following the prefix:

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Complex word stress

Stress placement guidelines: Suffix words

• Stress on ending itself

  ade (nouns), -ain (verbs), -ee (nouns), -eer, -esque (adjs/nouns), -esce (verbs), -ess (verbs), -ette (nouns), -ique (nouns/adjs), -oon, -self/-selves, e.g. pəˈreɪd, æbˈsteɪn, ˌɪn.tə.vjuˈiː, ˌen.dʒɪˈnɪə, ɡrəʊˈtesk, ˌkɒn.vəˈles, əˈses, ˌstætʃ.uˈet, krɪˈtiːk, læmˈpuːn, hɜːˈself

• Stress on syllable preceding ending

  -ative, -itive, -cient, -ciency, -eous, -ety, -ian, -ial, -ic, -ical, -ident, -inal, -ion, -ital, -itous, -itude, -ity, -ive, -ual, -ular, -uous, -wards /wedz/, e.g. ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv, ˈpɒz.ə.tɪv, ˈeɪn.ʃn̩t, dɪˈfɪʃ.n̩.si, ˌaʊtˈreɪ.dʒəs, prəˈpraɪə.ti, pəˈdes.tri.ən, ˌsuː.pəˈfɪʃ.l̩, ˌmel.əŋˈkɒl.ɪk, ˈræd.ɪ.kl̩, ˈæk.sɪ.dn̩t, ˈkrɪm.ɪ.nl̩, əˈkeɪ.ʒn̩, kənˈdʒen.ɪ.tl̩, ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs, ˈmʌl.tɪ.tʃuːd, ˌɪn.krəˈdʒuː.lə.ti, əˈten.tɪv, pəˈpetʃ.u.əl, ˈsek.jə.lə, kənˈspɪk.ju.əs, ˈaʊt.wədz.

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Complex word stress

Stress placement guidelines: Compound words

• 2 types:

1. ​Primary stress on the first part of the compound = Initial Element Stress (IES)

2. Primary stress on the last part of the compound = Final Element Stress (FES)

• ​Word shape: Written as one word nearly always have IES, but those written as two words, or with a hyphen, can be of either stress type.

• The Manufactures Rule (FES): If the compound includes a material used

  in its manufacture (e.g. an apple pie is a pie made of apples), then FES applies, e.g. ˌæp.əl ˈpaɪ, plʌm ˈbrændi, ˌpeɪ.pə ˈmʌn.i, ˌkɒtn ˈsɒks.

  Non-manufactured items take IES, e.g. ˈæpl triː, ˈplʌm stəʊn, ˈpeɪ.pə ˌklɪp,

  ˈkɒt.ən ˌdʒɪn

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Complex word stress

Stress placement guidelines: Compound words

• Location Rule (FES): Strong tendency for a compound to take FES if

  location is in some way involved:

1. FES applies if the first element is the name of a country, region or town: e.g. ˌtɜː.kɪʃ dɪˈlaɪt, ˌrʌʃ.ən ruːˈlet, ˌsaɪ.ə.miːz ˈtwɪnz, bəˌmjuː.də ˈʃɔːts

2. The vast majority of place-names, geographical features, etc. have FES. This category includes:

• regions, towns, suburbs, districts, natural features, e.g. ˌsɪl.ɪ.kən ˈvæl.i

• bridges, tunnels, parks, public buildings and sports clubs, e.g. haɪd ˈpɑːk

• all street names, except street itself, e.g. trəˌfælgə ˈskweə, trəˈfælgə striːt

3. Parts of a building tend to have FES, e.g. ˌbɛdrʊm ˈwɪndəʊ. Exceptions: compounds with -room are IES, e.g. ˈlɪv.ɪŋ ˌruːm (but ˌfrʌnt ˈruːm)

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Complex word stress

Stress placement guidelines: Compound words

4. FES applies where positioning of any sort is involved, e.g. ˌleft ˈwɪŋ, ˌʌp.ə ˈklɑːs, ˌbɒtm̩ ˈlaɪn. Time location also tends to FES, e.g. ˌɑːf.tə.nuːn ˈtiː

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Stress timing

• Sentence stress is basis of rhythm in English

• Stressed syllables occur at roughly equal intervals of time

• ​Unstressed syllables are shortened, vowels lose their pure quality to fit this rhythm

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Multiple Choice

Try saying a sentence in Malay and/or Chinese.

Are Malay and Mandarin Chinese stress-timed languages?

• Both Malay and Mandarin Chinese are stress-timed languages.

• Malay is a stress-timed language, but Mandarin Chinese is not.

• Mandarin Chinese is a stress-timed language, but Malay is not.

• Both Malay and Mandarin Chinese are not stress-timed languages.

Stress timing

• Stress timing is clearly revealed in verse, e.g. poetry written in traditional manner, nursery rhyme

• English, German = stress-timed (isochronous)

• French, Chinese, Malay = syllable-timed - no strong stress pattern, syllables maintain their length, vowels maintain their quality

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English Phonetics and Phonology

Poll

How do you feel about this week's lecture?

Open Ended

Q&A / Reflection / Issue

Please ask at least ONE question.

OR Tell us your thoughts on what you have learned these two weeks.

OR State ONE issue/difficulty that you have faced during these two weeks' lectures.

Tutorial Task

1. Transcribe simple words and mark the stress.

2. Transcribe complex words and mark the stress.

3. Transcribe sentences and mark the stress.

TSLB3043

English Phonetics and Phonology