Lecture 4. Word accent as a component of the phonetic structure of a word.

1. The nature of English Word stress.

2. Functions of W.S.
3. Types of English W.S.
4. Word accentuation tendencies.
5. Basic stress patterns of English words (accentual types).

? Word stress - emphasis placed on a particular syllable within a word, which can affect
its pronunciation and meaning.

type of stress factors perception languages

tonic/musical pitch level Pitch variation Chinese, Japanese,

Vietnamese
dynamic loudness Greater intensity Swedish, French,
English, German
qualitative vowel quality Unobscured vowel African languages
quality
quantitative length of syllable Longer is stressed Ukrainian, Czech

There are languages with prevailing characteristics of a dynamic word stress. Stress on such languages is mainly
achieved by a greater force of articulation which results in greater loudness, on the auditory level and greater
intensity on the acoustic level. The stressed syllables are louder than the unstressed ones. All the other parameters
play a less important role in producing the effect of stress in such languages. European languages such as English,
German, French possess predominantly dynamic word stress.

In languages with predominantly musical word stress prominence is mainly achieved by variations in pitch level,
the main acoustic parameter being fundamental frequency. Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese are languages with
musical word stress (or tonic word stress). The meaning of the words in those languages depends on the pitch
levels of their syllables.

N.B.! Swedish word stress is characterized as dynamic and musical, because both loudness and pitch variations are
relevant factors in producing prominence.

In languages with quantitative word stress the effect of stress is mainly based on the quantity of the sound. i.e.
length. In Ukrainian and Czech vowels in the stressed syllables are always longer than vowels in unstressed ones.

Besides those types of word stress, linguists distinguish qualitative word stress, as in many African languages the
quality of vowels on stressed syllables is unobscured and consequently differs greatly from the quality of vowels in
unstressed syllables.

Until recently, English word stress was considered to be dynamic, but English does not depend on intensity alone
and that English w-s is of a complex nature.
 English word stress functions

constitutive constitutes a word, organizes the syllables into a language unit

with a definite accentual structure

identificatory enables a person to decode the information in verbal

communication adequately

distinctive is capable of differentiating the meaning of words or their

forms: 'import – to im'port

culminative helps the listener to understand how many individual words

(J.Laver) were pronounced

Types of stress

-According to the degree of stress

(Am. ling-s - G.Trager, A.Hill)

primary secondary week tertiary

-According to its position

fixed free shifting

Limited to Not confined to performing the semantic function of
particular syllable specific position differentiating lexical units

In languages with a fixed stress the occurrence of the word stress is limited to a particular
syllable, especially in a multisyllabic word. For instance, in French the stress falls on the last syllable
of the word (if pronounced in isolation), in Finnish and Czech it is fixed on the first syllable, in Polish
on the one but last syllable.
In languages with a free stress its place is not confined to a specific position in the word
(Spanish, Greek, Italian, Romanian). In one word it may fall on the first syllable, in another on the
second syllable, in the third word — on the last syllable, etc.
The word stress in English as well as in Ukrainian is not only free but it may also be shifting,
performing the semantic function of differentiating lexical units, parts of speech, grammatical forms:
insult – to insult, habit – habitual, music – musician.
Word stress tendencies - consistent patterns observed in a language
regarding where the stress falls within words.

▪ Sister, mother, flower

Become, alive, pretend

▪ Revolution, organisation, assassination

▪ Similar →assimilation,
recommend →recommendation, distinct →distinctive

▪ Thirteen, put on, well-known

recessive tendency
(restricted/unrestricted)

rhythmic

retentive

semantic

Word accentual patterns

monosyllabic -do not have variable stress patterns like words with multiple
words syllables.
2 syllable words -nouns/adj →
(stress is put on syllable with long vowel, diphthong or that
containing more than 1 cons)
-verbs →
-words with historic (Latin/Greek) prefixes be-,pro-,a- →
-with suffixes -ate, -ise, -ize, -fy →
3 syllable words →stress on antepenultimate syll:
-logy, -logist, -graphy, -cracy←stress imposing suffixes
→ penultimate syll is stressed:
-ian, -ience, -ient, al, -ual, -eous, -iar, -ion, -ity←stress imposing
suffixes
→ ultimate syll is stressed
 -ee, -eer, -ier,-ade, -esque, -ette, -ese, -oon←stress fixing suffixes

4\5 syllable -antepenultimate syll is stressed →

words - primary stress → root, secondary s→prefix /suffix
-2 stresses: primary→penultimate/antepenultimate, secondary →1/2
syllable(initial)

N.B.! words with ‘prefixes’

un-, dis-, ex-, anti-, inter-, vice-, ultra-, sub-, mis- → 2 primary
stresses

Stress neutral stress neutral suffixes

- hood, -less, -ship, -ful, -ment, -cy, -ish, -ist, -ism, -er, dom →
unstressed

compounds/free 2 primary stresses / 1 stress

word groups
RP/Gen Am Notes:
 Further Reading and Watching:

● Word Stress: Overview. Iowa University. Digital Press

https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/oralcommunication/chapter/overview/

● Oxford Online English Stress https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Vu6UVwkUgzc&ab_channel=OxfordOnlineEnglish

● 3 levels of English Stress https://www.theaccentchannel.com/blog/3-levels-of-

syllable-stress-in-english

● Position of word stress in English and Ukrainian

https://lib.chmnu.edu.ua/pdf/pidruchnuku/18/158.pdf

● Stress in English Words http://lms.mju.ac.th/courses/749/locker/STRESS%20IN

%20ENGLISH%20WORDS.pdf
 Primary and secondary stresses vs 2 primary stresses
The secondary stress is manifested in polysyllabic word (compounds) with the primary
stress on the third or on the fourth syllable from the biginning: ˛popu′larity, re˛sponsi
′bility. In these cases the secondary stress falls on the first syllable. If the primary stress is
on the fourth or fifth syllable, the secondary then falls on the second: ar˛ticu′lation,
ex˛perimen′tation.
Consequently the position of the secondary stress is that of the primary stress in the
original word from which the derivative word is formed: ′possible – ˛possi′bility, ap
′preciate – ap˛preci′ation.
Words with two primary stresses consist of two morphemes (composite) and the use of
the second strong stress is caused by the semantic significance of both elements of the
word. There are several groups of such words:
1. Numerals from 13 to 19.
2. Compound numerals: twenty-three.
3. Compound adjectives: well-known, absent-minded.
4. Compound verbs with a post-position or a preposition-like adverb which
changes the meaning of the verb: to give in, to put on, to take off.
5. Polysyllables with separable prefixes having distinct meaning of their own:
negative prefixes (un, dis, non, in, ir, il, im) re meaning repetition, mis
meaning wrong, pre meaning before, earlier, ex meaning former, under and
sub meaning subordinate, inter meaning among, plus others like anti, vice,
ultra etc. But very common words with these prefixes sometimes lose the
stress on the prefix in everyday usage (unusual, impossible, mistake); it’s
also lost in words which are not used without these prefixes (discourage)

There are also differences between the stressing of compounds in RP and

General American, e.g.:
RP GenAm
'season ticket season 'ticket
:Adam's 'apple 'Adam 's аpple
peanut 'butter 'peanut butter
vocal 'cords 'vocal cords
Early Stress is usual in
compounds in which
● The two elements are written as one word:
E.g. ‘headline, ‘screwdriver, ‘laptop, ‘lifestyle
● Expressions consisting of NOUN+NOUN(N+N):
E.g. picture frame, child abuse, theme park
● Expressions consisting of Adjective+NOUN, N+N, N+V,
N+Ving:
E.g. batting average, bull’s eye, crow’s nest, landfill, job-sharing
● Phrasal prepositional verbs used as nouns:
e.g. burn-out, lay-off, melt-down

Late Stress

The numerous variations of English word stress are systematized in the typology of
accentual structure of English words worked out by G.P. Torsuyev. He classifies them
according to the number of stressed syllables, their degree or character (the main and the
secondary stress). The distribution of stressed syllables within the word accentual types
forms accentual structures of words. Accentual types and accentual structures are closely
connected with the morphological type of words, with the number of syllables, the
semantic value of the root and the prefix of the word.

The accentual types are:

1. ['___]. This accentual type marks both simple and compound words. The accentual
structures of this type may include two and more syllables, e.g. 'fafher, 'possibly, 'mother-
in-law, 'gas-pipe.

2. [ '_ '_ ]. The accentual type is commonly realized in compound words, most of them are
with separable prefixes, e.g. 'radio-'active, 're'write, 'diso'bey.

3. [ '_ ' _ '_ ] and 4. ['_ ' _ '_ '_]. The accentual types are met in initial compound
abbreviations like 'U'S'A, 'U'S'S'R.

5. ['_ ,_ _ ]. The type is realized both in simple and compound words, very

common among compound words, e.g. 'hair-,dresser, 'substructure.

6. [, _ '_ _ ]. The accentual type marks a great number of simple words and some
compound words as well. In simple words the stresses fall onto:

1. the prefix and the root: maga'zine;

2. the root and the suffix: ,hospi'tality;

3. the prefix and the suffix: disorganization.

The other five types are rare and found in small number of words.

7.[‘_ ,_ ‘_ _ ] – simple words with the separate prefixes: misrepresent.

8. [,_ ,_ ‘_ _ ] – individualization.

9. [‘_ ‘_ ,_ _ ] – compound words with separable prefixes: unseaworthy

10. [‘_ _ ,_ ,_ ] – simple and compound words: soda-water, bottle.

11. [,_ ‘_ ,_ ] – rare cases of compound words consisting of three components: gignerbeer-
bottle.