/ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/ Phonetics & Phonology
--- 🡪 ---
MODULE 8
Complex word stress
Instructor: Lam Hoang Phuc
8.1. Complex words
▪ Not all polysyllabic words (words with more than one
syllable) are considered complex in the context of stress
placement.
▪ In this context, complex words are those composed of
more than one grammatical unit. There are two major
types:
o Words made from a basic word form (stem) with the
addition of an affix.
o Compound words, which are made of two (or more)
independent English words.
8.2. Words with affixes
▪ Affixes are of two sorts in English:
o Prefixes: come before the stem.
o Suffixes: come after the stem.
▪ Three possible effects of affixes on word stress:
o The affix itself receives the primary stress.
o The word is stressed as if the affix were not there.
o The stress remains on the stem, but is shifted to a
different syllable.
8.2. Words with affixes
❖ Suffixes
▪ Suffixes that carry primary stress themselves:
o Detailed examples on pp. 83-84.
o The most common case is for the primary stress to fall
on the first syllable of the suffix.
o If the stem consists of more than one syllable, there will
be a secondary stress on one of the syllables of the stem.
This cannot fall on the last syllable of the stem and is, if
necessary, moved to an earlier syllable.
▪ Suffixes that do not affect stress placement:
o Detailed examples on pp. 84
o Verbs with stems of more than one syllables always have
the stress on the syllable immediately preceding ‘-ish’.
8.2. Words with affixes
❖ Suffixes
▪ Suffixes that influence stress in the stem:
o Suffixes that move primary stress to the last syllable of
the stem: detailed examples on page 84.
o If suffixes ‘-ance’, ‘-ant’ and ‘-ary’ are attached to
single-syllable stems, the stress is almost always placed
on the stem (e.g. ‘guidance’).
🡪 If the stem has more than one syllable and the final
syllable is strong, that syllable receives the stress (e.g.
‘importance’). If the final syllable is weak, the syllable
immediately preceding it receives the stress (e.g.
‘inheritance’).
8.2. Words with affixes
❖ Prefixes
▪ Prefixes’ effect on stress does not have the comparative
regularity, independence and predictability of suffixes.
🡪 The best treatment is to say that the stress in words with
prefixes is governed by the same rules as polysyllabic words
without prefixes.
8.3. Compound words
▪ Compound words have two stress patterns:
1. Primary stress is placed on the first element: found in
compounds which combine two nouns (e.g. ‘typewriter’
ˈtaɪpraɪtə).
2. Primary stress is placed on the second element and the
first word often has secondary stress: found in:
o Compounds with an adjectival first element and -ed
morpheme at the end (e.g. ˌbad-ˈtempered).
o Compounds in which the first element is a number in
some form (e.g. ˌsecond- ˈclass).
o Compounds functioning as adverbs (e.g. ˌdown ˈstream).
o Compounds which function as verbs and have an
adverbial first element (e.g. ˌdown ˈgrade).
8.4. Variable stress
▪ Stress position may vary due to the following reasons:
o The stress on other words occurs next to the word in
question. The main effect is that the stress on a
final-stressed compound tends to move to a preceding
syllable and change to secondary stress if the following
word begins with a strongly stressed syllable.
E.g. ˌbad-ˈtempered 🡪 a ˌbad-tempered ˈteacher
o Not all speakers agree on the placement of stress in
some words.
E.g. ‘controversy’ can be pronounced as ˈkɒntrəvɜːsi or
kənˈtrɒvəsi.
8.5. Word-class pairs
▪ There are pairs of two-syllable words with identical spelling
but different stress placement according to word class. All
appear to consist of prefix + stem.
▪ In such pairs, the stress is placed on the second syllable of
the verb but on the first syllable of the noun or adjective.
🡪 Refer to p. 87 for detailed examples.
REFERENCES
Roach, P. (2009). English phonetics and phonology – A
practical course (4th ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.