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Lecture No. 5 Word Stress Complex Words

This document discusses word stress in complex words. It explains that complex words are made up of a basic stem combined with an affix or are compound words made of two or more words. Affixes can either receive primary stress themselves, have a neutral effect on stress placement, or cause a shift in stress to another syllable of the stem. Several examples of suffixes that fall into each category are provided, such as -esque and -ique receiving primary stress, and -ly and -ment having a neutral effect. The document also discusses stress shifts that occur when certain suffixes are added, such as stress falling on the last syllable before suffixes like -ate and -ize. Exceptions to the patterns are noted.

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205 views2 pages

Lecture No. 5 Word Stress Complex Words

This document discusses word stress in complex words. It explains that complex words are made up of a basic stem combined with an affix or are compound words made of two or more words. Affixes can either receive primary stress themselves, have a neutral effect on stress placement, or cause a shift in stress to another syllable of the stem. Several examples of suffixes that fall into each category are provided, such as -esque and -ique receiving primary stress, and -ly and -ment having a neutral effect. The document also discusses stress shifts that occur when certain suffixes are added, such as stress falling on the last syllable before suffixes like -ate and -ize. Exceptions to the patterns are noted.

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TinBow
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Second year LMD

Phonetics

Lecturer: Dr. Chelli

Lecture No. 5
Word Stress
Complex words

Complex words are of two types: words made from the basic stem word with an addition of an affix, and
compound words which are made of two or more words.
* Affixes have one of the three possibilities effects on word stress (Peter Roach, 1991, p.96):
The affix itself receives the primary stress: semicircle
The word is stressed just as if the affix was not there ( the affix is neutral, it does not affect
stress), e.g. un, ing, al
The stress remains on the stem, but shifts to another syllable ( ic, ation)
1. Suffixes carrying primary stress
ain (for verbs only): ascertain
ee: refugee, absentee, employee, interviewee
eer: volunteer, cashier
ese: Chinese, Japanese, portugese

ette: cigarette
esque: picturesque, arabesque
el: personnel
ique: unique, antique

2. Suffixes that do not affect stress placement (neutral)


able: comfortable, remarkable
less: power, powerless
age: anchorage
ly: happy, happily
al: actual, refusal, arrival
ment: employ, employment
en: northen, widen
un: unhappy, unpleasant
ful: wonderful,
ous: danger, dangerous
ing: amaze, amazing
fy: glory, glorify
ish: devil, devilish
wise: other, otherwise
like: birdlike
y: funny, windy
3. Suffixes that influence stress in the stem
* Primary stress on the last syllable of the stem (or the penultimate syllable, the syllable preceding
the suffix)/ Transcribe some of the words below:
eous: advantageous
ible: flexible, impossible
graphy: photography
logy: psychology, physiology
ial: commercial, financial
ion: perfection, interaction
ual: intellectual
ious: injurious, furious
ian: politician
ty: complexity,objectivity
ient: efficient, sufficient
ive: attractive, collective
ic: energetic, academic
meter: parameter, kilometer
*when the suffixes: ant, ance and ary are attached to monosyllabic stems, the stress falls on the
stem.
* When the stem contains two syllables or more, stress placement is governed by the same rules of
simple words/ Transcribe the words below:
e.g., important
ambulance
military
secretary
* When the suffixes: ate, ize are added to the stem, the stress falls on the second syllable before the
suffix/ Transcribe the words below:
operate
exaggerate
recognize
criticise
apologize
associate
* Some exceptions
Coffee, committee, pedigree, omelette, palette, politics, catholic, rhetoric, choleric, Arabic

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