LESSON 9: STRESS

LESSON 9:  STRESS

Glossary:

beat : nhịp content word : từ (có) nội dung emphasis : sự nhấn mạnh emphasized : được nhấn mạnh length : độ dài loudness : độ lớn (âm thanh) pitch : độ cao thấp predict : dự đoán/ dự  báo reduction : sự rút gọn/ giảm rhythm : nhịp sentence stress : trọng âm câu stress : trọng âm stress placement : việc đặt trọng âm stressed syllable : âm tiết có trọng âm structure word : từ cấu trúc tone : thanh điệu ( giọng) unstressed syllable : âm tiết không có  trọng âm word stress : trọng âm từ

Word stress
In every word in English, there is one main emphasized syllable. The vowel sound in this syllable sounds higher in pitch, longer, and louder, and this is called stress. This helps create the rhythm of the language, and knowing how to recognize the stressed syllable will help you with comprehension. Placing the stress where it should be when you're speaking helps native speakers understand you better as well.

Common English word stress patterns
English word stress is not always on the same syllable, like in some languages. Many times, though, it is one of the last three syllables in the word. Here are some examples of stress in different syllables of the word:
computer     languages     pronunciation
Could you hear a difference in tone, length, and loudness between the stressed and unstressed syllables?
Sometimes you can predict the stress placement because of the type of word or the ending you put on it. Here are some general rules:

Word type Where is the stress? Examples Two syllables Nouns on the first syllable center object flower Verbs on the last syllable release admit arrange Compound Nouns (N + N) (Adj. + N) on the first part desktop pencil case bookshelf greenhouse Adjectives (Adj. + P.P.) on the last part (the verb part) well-meant hard-headed old-fashioned Verbs (prep. + verb) understand overlook outperform Phrasal Verbs on the particle turn off buckle up hand out Word with added ending -ic the syllable before the ending economic geometric electrical -tion, -cian, -sion technician graduation cohesion -phy, -gy, -try, -cy, -fy, -al the third from the last syllable photography biology geometry -meter parameter thermometer barometer

Sentence stress (4)
Sentence stress is the music of spoken English. Like word stress, sentence stress can help us to understand spoken English, especially when spoken fast.
Sentence stress is what gives English its rhythm or "beat". We should remember that word stress is accent on one syllable within a word. Sentence stress is accent on certain words within a sentence.

Rules for Sentence Stress in English
In English sentences, not all words are given equal emphasis. Key words (usually the words that contain new or important information) are stressed and pronounced more slowly and clearly than other words. Take, for example, the question "Are you going to go to Boston?" If the focus of the question is on where the listener will go, the sentence will sound something like "Ya gonna go ta Boston"; the word "Boston" would be pronounced clearly and with more emphasis. If, in contrast, the emphasis is on who is going, the sentence would sound like "Are you gonna go ta Boston?" While students don't necessarily need to learn to reduce the unimportant words in sentence, they should learn to stress key ones. (Students should also be made aware of English word reductions for listening comprehension.)
The basic rules of sentence stress are:
o content words are stressed
o structure words are unstressed
o the time between stressed words is always the same
The following tables can help you decide which words are content words and which words are structure words:
Content words - stressed

Words carrying the meaning Example main verbs SELL, GIVE, EMPLOY nouns CAR, MUSIC, MARY adjectives RED, BIG, INTERESTING adverbs QUICKLY, LOUDLY, NEVER negative auxiliaries DON'T, AREN'T, CAN'T

Structure words - unstressed

Words for correct grammar Example pronouns he, we, they prepositions on, at, into articles a, an, the conjunctions and, but, because auxiliary verbs do, be, have, can, must

Exceptions
The above rules are for for what is called "neutral" or normal stress. But sometimes we can stress a word that would normally be only a structure word, for example to correct information. Look at the following dialogue:
"They've been to Mongolia, haven't they?"
"No, THEY haven't, but WE have."
Note also that when "be" is used as a main verb, it is usually unstressed (even though in this case it is a content word).