Question 1 (Consolidate)
We saw in Section 11.4, that the addition of a suffix to a word can affect stress placement. Group the following examples according to whether the suffix (a) changes the stress in the stem of the word, (b) has no effect on the stress pattern or (c) itself becomes the (most) stressed element. Do you notice any other changes that occur?
respectful, journalese, cavernous, contemplation, kitchenette,
openness, nourishment, auctioneer, dictatorial
Answer/discussion
| (a) the suffix changes the stress in the stem | |contem|plate > |contem|plation |
| | dic|tator > |dicta|torial |
| (b) the suffix has no effect on the stress pattern | re|spect > re|spectful |
| | |cavern > |cavernous |
| | |nourish > |nourishment |
| | |open > |openness |
| (c) the suffix itself becomes the (most) stressed element | |journal > |journal|ese |
| | |kitchen > |kitchen|ette |
| | |auction > |auction|eer |
In (a)-type examples, the shift in stress can bring about a vowel change in the new primary stress, as we see in the way [dɪk|teɪtə] changes to [|dɪktə|tɔːrɪəl], changing the syllable from being unstressed to having primary stress. (Occasionally, (b)-type suffixes can cause vowel changes in stressed syllables, as in divine/divinity.) What is actually happening in the (a) group is that the primary stress is moving to the last syllable of the stem, which is why no stress-shift occurs in the further example of com|plete/com|pletion. In both (a)-type and (c)-type examples, the syllables that lose primary stress nearly all retain some degree of secondary stress. In dictatorial, however, secondary stress moves to the first syllable, influenced by the natural preference to alternate stressed and unstressed syllables.
Question 2 (Explore)
Based on the above examples of affixation and other aspects covered in this chapter, does stress seem to you to be a relatively stable or unstable phenomenon?
Answer/discussion
In isolation, most words of more than one syllable have a fixed stress pattern, and there are only a relatively small percentage of words (like kilometre) that have alternative pronunciations. Also, it’s sometimes possible to predict where stress is placed within a word based on word class, word formation or syllable structure. However, some words undergo changes in stress when they acquire suffixes, as we saw in dictator/dictatorial and kitchen/kitchenette. This suggests a certain flexibility in stress placement, as also illustrated by the pairs of noun/verb homographs. There are also instances in connected speech when stress patterns can change for the purpose of emphasis or to maintain rhythm. Weak and strong forms of certain words (as considered in Exercise 11.3) are also relevant here. Learning stress placement can be challenging for foreign learners of English, but errors are unlikely to cause comprehension problems.
