The main accentuation tendencies in English word stress
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 928.
Degrees of word stress, Fixed and Free word stress
Stress can be fixed and free . In languages with the fixed stress the place of stress is limited to a particular syllable in a multi syllable word. In Finnish, Czech and Slovak the stress always falls on the first syllable. In Italian, Welsh it is on the one but last syllable. In French and Turkish the stress falls on the last syllable.In languages with a free stress its place is not confined to a specific position in a word.In English Russian Ukrainian word stress is free. That is it may fall on any syllable in a word.
Besides the word stress in the English, Ukrainian and Russian is not only free but it's also shifting and it performs the semantic function of differentiating lexical units , parts of speech and grammatical forms:
'Contrast - con'trast
Though English stress is free there are certain factors or tendencies that determine the place and different degree of word stress. Vassiliev describes them as follows:
- recessive tendency-rhythmic tendency-retentive tendency-semantic factor
1. According to the recessive tendency stress falls on the first syllable which is generally the root syllable . It can be of 2 subtypes:
Unstriked – is observed in the native English words and in the assimilated French borrowings having no prefix. ('mother, 'daughter, 'colour, 'restaurant).
Restricted – is characterized by placing the word accent on the root of the word if this word has a prefix which has lost its meaning (be'come, be'gin, a'way)
2. Rhythmical tendency results in alternating stressed and unstressed syllables. It caused the appearance of the secondary stress in multy-syllabic words ֽOrgani'zation Revo'lution
According to the rhythmical tendency primary stress is on the third syllable from the end in 3 and 4 syllable words.'Cinema'Situate In'tensity
3. Retentive tendency is characteristic by the retention of the primary accent in the derivation on the same syllable on which it falls in the parent word.'Similar - 'similarly
More commonly the primary stress is retained on the derivative word as the secondary accent
'Similar –ֽsimi'larity
4. According to the semantic tendency words with separate prefixes and compound words have two equally strong stresses'Un'known 'Twenty 'one
Such prominence is given to negative prefix :
- un, in, mis, anti, non --ex, vice, sub, under, ultra—teen--semantically important element in compound word'well-'known
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