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Word stress is the specific stressed syllable in the pronunciation of a particular word.
A great number of words in English only have one syllable (for example go, eat, wait, eight, house,
prince, friends, thieves, straight, etc.). In these cases the stress can only be located in that syllable.
In longer words the stress can lie in any syllable:
First syllable: doctor; handicap; testimony; capitalism;
Second syllable: alone; delete; comparison; sophisticated;
Third syllable: understand; controversial; university;
Fourth syllable: configuration; experimental; responsibility
While on the subject, as in all aspects of language, a constantly-evolving mode of communication
among human beings, the stress on words can also shift over time.[1]
IPA symbol
In IPA the primary stress is marked with a small raised vertical line preceding
the stressed syllable: doctor /dktr/, hotel /htel/, experience
/ksprns/, professional /prfenl/.
IPA vowels
Secondary stress
trap
father - start
Long words may have an extra stress, the second most stressed syllable in the
word.
dress
face
square
kit
fleece
near
lot
goat
north
The secondary stress is marked with a small lowered vertical line preceding
the stressed syllable: information /nfrmen/, understand /ndrstnd/,
represent /reprzent/.
Words with secondary stress are pronounced as if thew were two different
words, and one of them has the primary stress: infor-mation, under-stand,
repre-sent. If a word has two secondary stresses it is pronounced as three small
words: onomatopoeia /nmtpi/ ono-mato-poeia; heterosexuality /
hetrsekult/ hetero-sexu-ality.
Nouns, etc.
What is said here about nouns is also valid for other parts of speech, except
verbs.
foot
ju
cute
cure
Two syllables
goose mature
Two-syllable nouns often, but not always, have the stress on the first
syllable:
Nouns: coffee - country - effort - engine - exit - expert - export increase - level - morning - number - people - pepper - problem record - rescue - second - sentence - system - water
Other parts of speech: after - any - central - little - many - mental only - other - over - something - very
Exceptions:
think
that
see
IPA
Stress
Primary
stress
hotel /h
tel/
Secondary
stress
understand
/ndr
stnd/
IPA Syllabification
nitrate
/na.tret/,
night-rate
/nat.ret/
Verbs
Two syllables
verbs with two syllables often, but not always, have the stress on the second:
agree - apply - arrive - become - begin - believe - compare - complain - comply - decide declare - defy - depend - discuss - enjoy - explain - export - forget - improve - include - in
crease - invite - prepare - pretend - prevent - provide - receive - record - refer - refuse - re
gret - remain - repeat - reply - report - respect - return - reveal - rewind - suggest
Exceptions: argue - cancel - centerAmE/centreBrE - colorAmE/colourBrE - differ - edit - enter - exit follow - happen - issue - level - limit - market - offer - open - order - question - reason - silence - study
- value - visit
Three or more syllables
Stress in the first syllable
dominate - educate - hesitate - interest - multiply
Many verbs ending in "-iseBrE/-ize": civilise/civilize - realise/realize - recognise/recognize
Stress in the second syllable
consider - comunicate - experience - evaluate - recover - remember
Some verbs ending in "-iseBrE/-ize": commercialise/commercialize - familiarise/familiarize prioritise/prioritize
Stress in the third syllable
decontaminate
last: decompose - recommend - understand
The letter e
First syllable
Second syllable
/e/ general - level - yesterday technique
// pretty
Most words with the first e pronounced like // are stressed in the second syllable.
Nouns: belief - December - defence - demand - departure - detective - eclipse - ellipse - emotion
- example - except - expensive - experience - extinct - receipt - report - research - result
Verbs: become - begin - believe - decide - declare - defy - depend - enjoy - evaluate - explain experience - prepare - pretend - prevent - receive - recover - refer - refuse - regret - remain remember - repeat - reply - report - respect - return - reveal - rewind
Other parts of speech: because - before - between
When the first e is the stressed syllable, it is usually pronounced /e/:
Nouns: beggar - benefit - celery - ceremony - effort - engine - exercise - exit - expert - general gentlemen - level - mechanism - pepper - recipe - record - rescue - second - secretary - sentence vegetable - yesterday
Verbs: detonate - edit - educate - enter - exit - hesitate - level
Other parts of speech: central - definitely - federal - mental
This is particularly noticeable in many verbs which have the same spelling for the noun; See Heteronym.
export (v.) - export (n.); record (v.) - record (n.);
Exceptions:
First syllable
Heteronyms
Many heteronyms have a difference in stress. In many cases a noun is stressed in the first syllable and a
verb is stressed in the second.
arithmetic (n.) - arithmetic (adj.); export (n.) - export (v.); insult (n.) - insult (v.); invalid (n.) invalid (adj.); record (n.) - record (v.);
Variant pronunciations
Some words may be pronounced with stress in different syllables. In some cases there is a regional
variation.
address/addressAmE - adult/adult - advertisementBrE/advertisementAmE compositeBrE/compositeAmE - controversy (traditional pronunciation, both BrE and
AmE)/controversy (new pronunciation, peculiarly BrE)[2] - kilometre/kilometre transferenceBrE/transferenceAmE
This is particularly noticeable in French borrowings.
balletBrE/balletAmE - chauffeurBrE/chauffeurAmE - fianc(e)BrE/fianc(e)AmE garageBrE/garageAmE - lingerieBrE/lingerieAmE
Many words that have a secondary stress in American English have one less syllable in British English:
secretary /sekrter/AmE - /sekrtr/BrE
laboratory /lbrtri/AmE - /lbrtr/BrE
Spanish
Many Spanish speakers think that all English words are stressed in the first syllable, and they pronounce
*canal, *hotel, *perhaps, *between, or *preliminary
References
1. Crystal, David, "A pronounced change in British speech" (http://davidcrystal.com/?id=4046)
PDF format
2. The Telegraph, The 'conTROversy' over changing pronunciations
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8305645/The-conTROversy-overchanging-pronunciations.html), 5 Feb 2011
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