ENGLISH

PHONOLOGY
Word Stress Instructor: Prof. Dr. Siusana Kweldju

Stress is the key to the pronunciation of an English word and the location of the
accent always be learned with the word. Every word in English has at least one
syllable. Every word in English also has one syllable that is stressed or
emphasized. Syllables that are pronounced more forcibly than the others are
said to be stressed. Syllables that are pronounced without much force are
called unstressed.

All stressed syllables have one characteristic in common, and that is called
prominence; stressed syllables are recognized as stressed because they are more
prominent than unstressed syllables.

A stressed syllable combines five features:

It is l-o-n-g-e-r - com p-u-ter
It is LOUDER - comPUTer
It has a change in pitch from the syllables coming before and
afterwards. The pitch of a stressed syllable is usually higher.
It is said more clearly -The vowel sound is purer. Compare the first and
last vowel sounds with the stressed sound.
It uses larger facial movements - Look in the mirror when you say the
word. Look at your jaw and lips in particular.

There are two very simple rules about word stress:

1. One word has only one stress. (One word cannot have two stresses. If
you hear two stresses, you hear two words. Two stresses cannot be one
word. It is true that there can be a "secondary" stress in some words. But
a secondary stress is much smaller than the main [primary] stress, and is
only used in long words.)
2. We can only stress vowels, not consonants.
Most nouns and adjectives have stress on the first syllable

PRE sent
RE cord
OB ject
IM port
VI brant
HAP ppy
PRET ty
HUNG ry

Most 2-syllable verbs have stress on the second syllable:

pre SENT
re CORD
ob JECT
im PORT
sus PECT

What is the difference between desert and dessert?

When one is supposed to pronounce [dɪˈzəːt], but he pronounces it [ ‘dez-ert ]

“Dessert is my favorite thing!”
When she said this to a friend, a native English speaker, he looked confused and
asked her:
“Why? It’s just sand and has no life. It could also be dangerous!”

This pair of words causes a lot of problems for writers because they have very
similar spellings and pronunciations.
Desert has two primary meanings. As a noun, it is usually pronounced
/ˈdɛzərt/ (with the stress on the first syllable) and means “a barren region devoid
of vegetation, especially an arid region that has very little rainfall.” As a verb, it
is pronounced /dɪˈzɜrt/ (with the stress on the second syllable), and it means “to
leave or abandon someone, something, or someplace” or “to forsake someone or
something, especially in spite of a duty or responsibility.” For example:
 “After spending a week camping in the desert, I gained a newfound
appreciation for modern conveniences.”
 “I can’t believe he deserted the fledgling company to go work for some
giant corporation.”
 “The soldier was held on charges of deserting his post.”

Dessert is pronounced the same way as the verb definition of desert: /dɪˈzɜrt/. It is only ever a
noun, meaning “a sweet dish, typically served as the last course of a meal,” as in:
“Would you like ice cream or pudding for dessert?”