STRESS AND

INTONATION
Asserting oneself in an
argument proves strong
when the stress and
intonation are right. Telling
the other person what you
feel about what he or she
just said can also be
conveyed with how you say
it.
Correct word stress is an
important element in
engaging in clear oral
communication.
There are shifts in meaning
created by word stress for
heteronyms.
Suffixes have roles in word
stress.
Focus is on the consonant
plus –ion suffix like –tion, -
sion, -ation, -cion, and –xion.
For two-syllable words with
those suffix mentioned the
stress is on the first syllable.
For three- or four-syllable
words, the second to the last
syllable just before the suffix
receives the word stress.
A word has only one stressed
syllable. It should be
emphasized that only vowels
are stressed, not consonants.
Stress is important in
achieving proper intonation.
Intonation is defined as the
rise and fall in one’s voice.
i. When one begins with a
middle pitch ending with a
lower one (falling
intonation), the statement is
a simple assertion or
sentence.
ii. When one ends with a
rising intonation (high final
pitch), the statement
indicates a question.
iii. Intonation may signal
giving of information in
which the rise of pitch goes
to the word you want to
emphasize.
iv. Intonation may signal
grammatical coherence in
which a rising pitch turns a
statement into a yes-no
question and there is no
need to rearrange the words.
v. Intonation may signal
one’s attitude by use a rising
pitch for excitement and a
low declining pitch for
boredom.