What do we mean by stress? Stressed syllables are louder, longer, and pronounced at a slightly higher pitch. English has three main levels of stress: strong stress (primary stress); light stress (secondary stress); unstressed. The difference between stressed syllables and unstressed syllables is greater in English than in most other languages.
Why Is Word Stress Important?
The correct placement of stress in a word plays an important role in being clearly understood by a listener. This is because listeners depend on the stressed syllables to help them process meaning. When stress is misplaced, the cues that help listeners decode meaning are missing. As a result, communication may be impeded. Knowing where to stress and reduce syllables is important for clear pronunciation. Therefore, stress is a key component of our accent modification course.
Let’s look at some examples of stress patterns in words. In the word ‘determine’, the first syllable, ‘de’ is unstressed. The second syllable, ‘ter’ receives strong stress, and the third syllable ‘mine’ is unstressed. If we draw circles to represent the level of stress each syllable receives, it would look like this: ● ⬤ ● An example of a word containing all three levels of stress is ‘perseverance’. In this word, the first syllable ‘per’ is lightly stressed, the second syllable ‘se’ is unstressed, the third syllable ‘ver’ receives strong stress, and the fourth syllable ‘ance’ is unstressed. The stress pattern looks like this: ● ● ⬤ ●
The biggest dilemma for students is hearing and predicting where the primary stress falls in a word. Online dictionaries such as the Cambridge or Longman Dictionaries are useful tools for noticing where stress is placed in a word. If you look up a word in an online dictionary, below the word you will see a phonemic transcription which contains a vertical superscript mark (ˈ) before the syllable receiving primary stress, a vertical subscript mark (ˌ) before the syllable receiving secondary stress, and no symbol to indicate unstressed syllables. Apart from dictionaries, how else can learners know where to stress important syllables? Well, here is where an English tutor can help students recognize certain rules which govern the placement of stress in words.
Primary Stress in Words With Suffixes
In words with the suffixes -ity, -ic, -ical, -tion (-sion). , major stress is always on the syllable before -ity, -ic, -ical, and -tion (-sion)
-ity: credibility, nationality, municipality, accessibility, familiarity, spontaneity
-ic: magnetic, strategic, enthusiastic, therapeutic, charismatic, microscopic
-ical: physiological, alphabetical, geographical, technological, economical
-tion (-sion): accusation, disproportion, extradition, contradiction, hypertension
Once you are comfortable placing primary stress before these suffixes, you can focus on reducing the unstressed syllables to the schwa sound. Reducing vowel sounds is an important part of clear pronunciation and will be the focus of part two of this blog.
