Positional distinctions of word accent in English.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 517.

Functionally there are three degrees of prominence

Primary stress—the strongest degree, secondary--strong (it is used for the sake of English rhythm), weak—unstressed syllables. (Examination, congregation).

According to American theory there is also strong stress- tertiary stress.American tertiary stress is post-tonic, non-distinctive; English secondary- pre-tonic, distinctive.

English Word Stress is generally considered to be free. In different words upon different syllables. Freedom of WS is restricted by 2 tendencies recessive and rhythmical (+retentive). Different languages have not only functional types of word accent but differ in position of WS. There're languages with fixed and free. Fixed - tendency to stress the same syllable in all words. Recessive tendency is defined by the words of the Germanic layer. Short 12 s words - stress falls upon 1st syll - the root. Accent falls upon the 2nd syll of the words with prefixes of lost referential meaning. before, forget, among. Rhythmic tendency is connected w words of Romanic layer (Norman or Old French) in the English stock of words. Alternation of func and not wrds gives a rhythm. Most French borrowings are long polysllabic words w stress on last syll. secondary stress is used for the sake of English rhythm. The retentive tendency: a derivative retains the stress of the original or parent word, e.g. ′similar - as′similate. the retention of the primary accent of the parent word: ´person - ´personal; the retention of the accent of the parent word in the form of secondary stress: ´personal - ¸perso´nality, ′similar – ¸simi´larity, as¸simi´lation..

Constant accent remains on the same syllable in all the grammatical forms of a word or in all the derivatives from one and the same root. Retentive stress in a derivative falls on the same syllable on which it falls in the parent word, while in other derivatives from the same root it may be shifted, cf. ´person - ´personal - per´soni¸fy.

Most compound adjectives have two equal stresses as both elements are semantically important (`absent-`minded, `left-`handed). As soon as the significance of one of the elements is weakened, its accentual pattern is changed ( `sprin-like, `oval-shape).

Most of compound nouns have one stress on the firstelement which is more significant. (`dining-room, `shop-girl).

Phrasel verbs have stress on both elements.(`make `up)

Words with meaningfull prefixes have two stresses : `un`educated, `ir`regular, `dis`please to oppose to those without prefixes.

Compound numerals have two equal stresses to oppose them to the numerals with the unstressed suffix –ty.

Stress can also shift according to its semantic function todifferentiate the meaning or grammatical forms of the words: `import-im`port, `object-ob`ject; according to its syntactical function- to distinguish between a noun and a compound noun: a `hotdog- a `hot`dog