ACCENT / STRESS and Intonation
Stress or Accent
There are two different kinds of stress in English, word
stress and sentence stress. Both are essential to communicate meaning
satisfactorily and both cause many foreign learners of English considerable
problems.
a) Sound and
syllable:
Speech sounds are put together
into syllables and syllables into words which in turn are combined into
sentences. A syllable may consist of one speech sound or more. Nevertheless, it
does not have more than one vowel sound. A vowel sound, as a matter of fact,
forms the nucleus of a syllable. Therefore, a word has as many syllables as
there are vowel sounds in it.
b) Syllable
division of words: English words consist of one or more syllables. Each syllable
contains a vowel. A syllable may have one or more consonants before and/or
after it. Thus, in the word ‘teach’ there is only one syllable, whereas the
word ‘tea-cher’ has two syllables. In the examples that follow the letter V represents a vowel sound and
the letter C represents a consonant
sound.
Words of one syllable
or V
my CV
aim VC
bit CVC
scratched CCCVCC
Words of two syllables
tapers CVCVC
matchbox CVCCVC
language CVCCVC
Words of more than two syllables
examination VCCVCVCVCVC
Concept of Word-stress – its importance
The syllables of a word can be spoken with more or less force or
emphasis. Where a syllable is spoken with emphasis, it is said to be stressed.
Syllables that are not spoken with emphasis are unstressed. Not all syllables
in an utterance are spoken with equal emphasis. There are certain syllables
that are stressed more than others. Thus in the word ‘father’, the first
syllable ‘fa-’ is stressed and so, is
spoken more prominently than the second syllable ‘-ther’. Similarly, in the
word ‘about’, the second syllable is stressed and so, is spoken more
prominently than the first syllable. We shall now look at some common words to
note the syllabic stress patterns. The
accent mark is put before the syllable stressed.
Stress in English words varies from word to
word. In some words, the stress falls on the first syllable while in other, it
may fall on the second, third, or the fourth syllable.
Here are a
few examples of words stressed on different syllables:
(i) Words stressed on the first syllable:
Two-Syllable Three-Syllable Longer Words
'husband 'literature 'aristocrat
'stomach 'character 'benefactor
'dozen 'advertise 'chauvinism
'stupid 'industry 'melancholy
'splendid 'atmosphere 'pomegranate
(ii) Words stressed on
the second syllable:
Two-syllable Three-syllable Longer words
nar'rate ap'pendix par'ticipant
bal'loon ef'ficient ri'diculous
be'gin de'velop re'sponsible
draw'ee sa'liva ap'preciate
ru'pee an'tenna rhi'noceros
(iii) Words stressed on
the third syllable:
Three-Syllable Four-Syllable Five-Syllable
guaran'tee appli'cation irre'proachable
ciga'rette appo'sition irre`'sponsible
engi'neer appa'ratus satis'factory
remi'nisce corre'spondence irre'pressible
corre'spond elec'tricity
(iv) Words stressed on
the fourth syllable:
dedica'tee civili'zation
exami'nation mechani'zation
partici'pation inferi'ority
The above
lists clearly show that stress in English words has to be learnt individually.
Here
is a list of words consisting of varying number of syllables and having
different stress patterns. Listen to them on the tape and practice saying them
with the stress as marked.
Words consisting of two syllables:
Stress on first syllable Stress on second syllable
`bargain ad`mit
`govern for`bid
`thorough bam`boo
`secret mon`soon
`message suc`ceed
`canvas sup`press
`injure dis`miss
Words consisting of three syllables:
Stress on first syllable Stress on second syllable Stress on third syllable
`illustrate ad`venture recol`lect
`recipe spec`tator briga`dier
`tentative po`tato question`naire
`obstacle
ad`dition person`nel
`cemetery re`vision coin`cide
`symmetry um`brella addres`see
Words consisting of more than three syllables:
Stress on first
syllable
|
Stress on second
syllable
|
Stress on third syllable
|
Stress on
fourth syllable
|
`honorary
|
com`munity
|
ana`lytical
|
exami`nee
|
`honourable
|
com`modity
|
irre`sponsible
|
acade`mician
|
`secularism
|
e`xaggerate
|
psycho`logical
|
accele`ration
|
`cannibalism
|
a`nalogy
|
cata`strophic
|
mechani`zation
|
`favouritism
|
i`tinerary
|
pano`rama
|
exagge`ration
|
|
|
mathe`matics
|
exami`nation
|
RULES FOR
WORD STRESS
Therefore,
stress in English is difficult to explain and to indicate any rules for
stressing individual words is all the more difficult. However, a few general
guidelines may be given as follows:
Functional
shift of stress
There are a number of words of two syllables in which the accentual
pattern depends on whether the word is used as a noun, an
adjective or a verb. When the word is used
as a noun or an adjective, the stress is on the first syllable. When the
word is used as a verb, the stress is on the second syllable. Here are a few examples:
Noun/ Adjective Verb
'absent ab'sent
'object ob'ject
'subject sub'ject
'permit per'mit
'record re
'cord
'progress pro'gress
'produce pro'duce
'perfect per'fect
'increase in'crease
'decrease de'crease
'present pre'sent
Words with prefixes/suffixes; their stress
patterns:
Words with
weak prefixes are accented on the root.
a'rise a’bout be'low be'hold com'pose
a'lone a'bove be'come be'lieve de'velop
a'loud ac'cept be'fall be'side re'duce
Prefixes with negative connotations are stressed.
'disloyal 'illogical
'insincere 'half-finished
Verbs of two syllables beginning with the prefix dis-
are stressed on the last syllable.
dis'arm dis'may
dis'band dis'pel
dis'cern dis'miss
dis'close dis'solve
dis'count dis'tend
dis'grace dis'turb
dis'guise dis'tress
Verbs of two syllables ending in -ate, -ise/-ize, -ct are stressed on the
last syllable.
-ate -ize/-ise -ct
nar'rate cap'size in'fect
vib'rate
chas'tise select
mi'grate bap'tize pro'tect
lo'cate
com'prise de'pict
Words ending
in -ion are stressed on the penultimate i.e. last but one syllable
appli'cation indi'gestion
civili'zation con'gestion
compo'sition sug'gestion
conver'sation 'question
culti'vation imagi'nation
exami'nation
intro'duction
Words ending in -ic/-ical/-ically/ -ial/-ially/ -ian have
the stress on the syllable preceding the suffix.
-ic -ical -ically
apolo'getic patri'otic apolo'getical apolo'getically
e'lectric scien'tific
sympa'thetic
-ial -ially -ian
me'morial es'sential of'ficially vic'torian
of'ficial super'ficial 'specially
politician
presi'dential cere'monial es'sentially
disciplin'arian
Words
ending in -ious. -eous have the stress on the penultimate (i.e., the last but one) syllable.
-ious -eous
'anxious
'piteous
in'dustrious cou'rageous
in'jurious 'gorgeous
la'borious 'hideous
re'bellious
'righteous
vic'torious simul'taneous
Words
ending in -ate,-ise/-ize, -ify, -ity, -cracy, -crat, -graph, -graphy,
-meter,
-logy
Words
of more than two syllables ending in ate, -ise/-ize, -ify are stressed on the ante-penultimate syllable
(i.e., third from the end).
'complicate
|
'colonise
|
'justify
|
'separate(v)
|
'enterprise
|
'classify
|
'educate
|
'brutalise
|
'beautify
|
'cultivate
|
'patronise
|
'certify
|
ar'ticulate
|
'realize
|
'gratify
|
Words ending in -ity
have the stress on the ante-penultimate syllable
(i.e., third from the end)
a'bility curi'osity elec'tricity gene'rosity
possi'bility proba'bility ac'tivity e'quality
Words
ending in -cracy. -crat have the stress on the ante-penultimate syllable
(i.e., third from the end).
-cracy -crat
au'tocracy 'autocrat
dc'mocracy 'democrat
tech'nocracy 'technocrat
plu'tocracy 'plutocrat
aris'tocracy a'ristocrat
bu'reaucracy 'bureaucrat
Words ending in -graph, -graphy. -meter, -logy
have the stress on the ante-penultimate syllable (i.e., third from the end).
-graph -graphy -meter -logy
'autograph pho'tography
ther'mometer psychology
'paragraph spec'trography lac'tometer
bi'ology
'photograph bi'ography di'ameter zo'ology
Words stressed on the suffix:
Words ending with the suffixes –ain,
-eer. -ental. -ential. -ese, -esce, -escence. -escent. -esque. -ique, -itis. -ee.
-ette -ade etc. are stressed on the suffix.
-ain -aire -eer
ob'tain
re'tain
millio'naire
engi'neer mountai'neer
main'tain ex'plain question'naire volun'teer marke'teer
per'tain ascer'tain
car'eer
-ental -ential -ese
experi'mental
|
exis'tential
|
Bur'mese
|
funda'mental
|
provi'dential
|
Chi'nese
|
acci'dental
|
presi'dential
|
Assa'mese
|
dcpart'mental
|
|
Japa'nese
|
-esce
|
-escence
|
-escent
|
coa'lesce
|
effer'vescence
|
ado'lescent
|
conva'lesce
|
do'lescence
|
effer'vescent
|
-esque
|
-iquc
|
-ritis
|
pictu'resque
|
phy'sique
|
neu'ritis
|
gro'tesque
|
u'nique
|
arth'ritis
|
-ee
|
-ette
|
-ete
|
pay'ee
|
eti'quette
|
de'lete
|
addres'see
|
ciga'rette
|
re'plete
|
employ'ee
|
ga'zette
|
con'crete (v)
|
absen'tee
|
lhou'ette
|
com'plete
|
-ade
|
|
|
barri'cade
|
|
|
cas'cade
|
|
|
de'grade
|
|
|
lemo'nade
|
|
|
Connected
speech in English has its own patterns of accent. Words that are important for
meaning – content words like nouns,
adjectives, principal verbs and adverbs – are generally accented. Grammatical words like articles, personal
and relative pronouns, auxiliary verbs, prepositions and conjunctions are
generally not accented.
The situation is complicated by the fact that
sentences, too, are stressed to underline their meaning. Sentence stress is
very important since we use it to communicate part of the meaning of the
sentence. It also determines the rhythm of our speech. Normally, certain words in a sentence are
spoken more loudly than the others. In the
sentence ------ We are going to Spain for a holiday.------- the
word Spain takes the primary stress, if the sentence is spoken in normal
circumstances. However, when the speaker wishes to emphasize the fact that they
are travelling to Spain for a holiday and not on business, the sentence may be
spoken like this, stressing the last part of the sentence ------ We are going to Spain on a holiday.
To enable the learners familiarize themselves with the
use of the tunes/tones. We have already seen the vibrating glottis which
provides, in sounds, the voiced-voiceless distinction. However, it has another
important role to play in continuous speech, i.e., it provides pitch
fluctuation. By pitch fluctuation, we mean that the pitch of the voice is
continually in the process of either falling or rising while we are talking. In
fact, it never remains constant for more than a fraction of a second. Pitch
fluctuation is found in the speech of all communities. It is not a random
fluctuation but follows well-defined melodic patterns, which are meaningful.
Pitch
The pitch of the voice is
determined by the frequency of the vibration of the vocal cords, i.e., the
number of times they open and close in a second. The patterns of variation of
the pitch of the voice (i.e., the fall or the rise) constitute the intonation of a language. If you say,
Put it down! the pitch of your voice
will move from a high level to a low level. This is called the falling tone. It
can be illustrated thus:
Put it
d
o
w
n!
If you say the same sentence with a rising
tone the pitch of your voice will move from low to high, as shown below:
n!
w
o
Put it d
The number of important words in a word
group decides the shape of a tune (tone) and by the attitude you wish to
express. By important words, we mean the words which carry most of the meaning
in a group. For example, in answer to the question "How was Sheila?” you say, "She
was in an appallingly bad temper” - the first four words are not especially
helpful to the meaning, i.e., they are not important. But the last three words
are important: each of them adds to
the picture you are giving of Sheila. Let us see how it might be said:
She was in an appallingly bad
t
e
m
p
e
r.
So the most important word in this group is temper and this decides the shape of the
tune.
Before we talk about the
speakers' attitude(s) let’s see what runes you must learn to use while speaking
English. We cannot teach you all the tunes that English speakers use, but we
will describe the ones that we feel you must know.
The falling tune is sometimes referred to as
the glide-down. It consists of a fall
in the pitch of the voice from a high level to a low level. It is marked [ \ ].
The falling tune is normally used in:
1.
Ordinary statements made without
any implications, e.g.:
a. I 'liked it very \ much
b. It was 'quite \ good.
2.
Questions beginning with a
question-word such as what, how, where,
why, etc., when said in a neutral way, e.g.:
a. 'Who were you \ talking to?
b. 'What's the \
matter?
3. Commands, e.g.:
a. 'Go and 'open the \window.
b. 'Take it a\way.
4.
Exclamations, e.g.:
a.
\Splendid!
b. \How extraordinary!
5. Question tags: when the speaker expects the
listener to agree with him, e.g.:
a.
It’s pleasant to'day, \isn't
it?
b. It was a 'good film, \wasn't it?
6.
Rhetorical questions, e.g.,
where the answer is obvious:
a.
Isn't that\ kind of
her?
b. Wasn't that a \difficult exam?
The rising tune is
sometimes referred to as the glide-up. It consists of a rise in the pitch of the voice from a low level
to a high level. It is marked (
/ )
The rising tune is normally used in:
1.
Incomplete statements, e.g.:
a.
It's 'seven ‘o /
clock (and she hasn't got up as yet.)
b. I'll 'buy you a /dress
(if I go there.)
2.
Polarity type questions which demand a yes/no answer, e.g.:
a.
'Are they /
coming?
b. 'Will you / do it?
3. Non-polarity
(wh-type) questions when said in a warm/friendly way, e.g.:
a.
'How's your /
daughter?
b. 'What's the / matter?
4. Polite
requests, e.g.:
a. 'Go and 'open the / window.
b. 'Take it a /way.
5. Question tags:
when the speaker gives his/her listener the option to disagree with him/her,
a. You're a \ gardener, /aren't
you?
b. It was a \good \ film, /wasn't
it?
6.
Repetition questions, e.g.:
(John told me to do it.) Who told /you?
7. Expected responses, e.g.:
/ Thank you.
(If you wish to express real
gratitude, you should say thank you with
a falling tune. A rising tune shows a rather casual acknowledgement of
something not very important.)
8. Alternative
questions, e.g.:
a.
Do you like / tea, / coffee
or \ coke?
b.
'Shall we / drive or
go by \train?
9.
Enumeration, e.g.:
/ One / two, /
three, / four, \five.
10.
Afterthought, doubt, hesitation, e.g.:
a.
I'd 'buy a \new one, if I could af / ford it.
b.
In 'spring it 'rains a \lot, / generally.
11.
Greetings, partings, apologies, encouragement, e.g.:
a.
Hel/lo.
b.
Good /bye.
c.
I'm so /sorry,
d.
You ought to keep on / trying.
The last of the tunes that you must learn is
the falling-rising tune. This tune is
sometimes referred to as the dive. It
consists of a fall from high to low and then a rise to the middle of the voice.
This tune can be used on either one syllable or different syllables of a word
or sentence. It can be illustrated thus:
e
1. That was n c
i
y
of them.
t
n
2. There were s
e e
v
3. T e
h c
a i
t n
was
If the fall is on one syllable and the rise
begins on a later syllable it is referred to as a divided fall-rise. Sentence 3
is an example of this.
The fall-rise can be marked in two ways. If
the tune is used on one syllable it is marked ( )
e.g.,
seventy.
If the tune is used on different syllables of a word it
is marked ( )
e.g.,
seventy.
If the fall-rise is used on two
different words in a sentence it is marked as in the following example:
\That was,
nice.
The falling-rising tune is normally used for
special implications not verbally expressed. For example if you say
She’s \beautiful
With a falling tune you mean precisely that.
But if you say the same sentence with a falling-rising tune
She’s beautiful
You imply something-perhaps that she is
beautiful, but not intelligent.
Consider the following examples in which the
falling –rising tune is used to convey special implications, e.g.:
a.
I am waiting (so do hurry up).
b.
I haven’t much appetite (but
I’ll join you to be polite).
c.
The ‘houses are nice (but
perhaps to people are not).
This tune can also be used for correcting
what someone has said and as a warning, e.g.:
a.
(He’s forty-five.) Forty- six.
b.
(I like him a lot.) You used to
like him
c.
‘Please be careful.
References:
Spoken English by BalasubramanyamSpoken English by Peter RoachSpoken English by R.K. BansalCourse on Spoken English published by CIFEL
