Name:
[Theoretical Guidelines #3] Unit 5 – Word and sentence stress – pp. 66-73
True or False (pp. 66-69): For each statement, circle True or False. Correct the false ones on the
following page and add examples only for the false statements that you corrected.
True
False
True
False
True
False
True
True
False
False
True
False
True
True
False
False
1. [Some of the changes attributable to stress are a) no pitch change, b) loud
sounds and c) the vowel(s) sound(s) are shorter]
2. [Words in English can be stressed on their first, second or last syllables, unlike
French, where syllables are stressed only in the last syllable]
3. [A syllable is stressed if their surrounding syllables are generally unstressed,
that is, they are not as loud, do not have pitch change in isolation and are short]
4. [Schwa appears in stressed and unstressed syllables]
5. [There is no way of knowing from spelling whether a word contains a schwa
sound or not]
6. [Schwa can be present in some word endings like –ous, -ate (as an adjective).
These endings are usually mispronounced ]
7. [Not all unstressed syllables contain schwa]
8. [Many commentators settle on a two-level distinction regarding stress]
[English Phonetics and Phonology I - IESA]: [TP #4]
Prof. Ricardo J. Palma
Page 1
1. Quite the opposite. There is a change in pitch for each stressed syllable IN ISOLATION, the
vowel sound(s) sounds louder and is lengthened. Fore example:
t e c h n i c a l
p h o n e t i c
u n d e r s t a n d
ˈt e e e knɪkl
fə ˈn e e e tɪk
ˌʌndəˈst æ æ æ nd
 




4. There is a rule in English pronunciation which has no exceptions. Schwa cannot occur in
stressed or prominent position. Check the position of schwa with respect to the stressed
syllables in the following words:
excellent
develop
complete
ˈeeeksələnt
dəˈveeeləp
kəmˈpliiiːt
5. There are some rough ideas about when to use schwa. Pay attention to the chart on page
69. One observation, for “-cal/-tal” endings, schwa is actually not pronounced. Ex.
Histerical
8.
hɪsˈteeerɪkl
crystal
ˈkrɪɪɪstl
Many commentators, and we on this course, settle on a three-level distinction between
primary stress, secondary stress and unstress. Ex.
P r o n u n c i a t i o n
prəˌn ʌ nsiˈe e e ɪ ʃən
Fill in the Blank (pp. 70-71): Into each sentence below, copy a term from the word bank that correctly
completes the sentence.
1. [In stress-timed Languages stress occurs at regular intervals and there is a fluctuation
between stressed and unstressed syllables]
2. Syllable-timed languages, like Spanish, allow stress to be distributed in words without
noticeable difference between stressed and unstressed syllables. Also, there is no change in
length for stressed and unstressed vowels and schwa may not be present]
3. [If we think that rhythm in English is isochronous, it may mean that if we have more
unstressed syllables between the stressed syllables, we will have to pronounce them faster]
4. [The more stylized (i.e. reciting poems, nursery rhymes, formal interviews) a context of
speaking is, the more regular the location of stressed syllables is. The production of
stressed syllables and their number in normal conversation depends on the context,
relationship between speakers and the meaning they are negotiating]
[English Phonetics and Phonology I - IESA]: [TP #4]
Prof. Ricardo J. Palma
Page 2
Multiple Choice (pp. 71-73): For each of the following questions, circle the letter of the answer that
best answers the question.
1. [At a more suprasegmental level, stress is usually called prominence and is closely connected to:]
A.
B.
C.
D.
[vowels]
[Intonation]
[pitch level]
[syllables]
2. [The words which are more likely to become prominent in an utterance or sentence are:]
A.
B.
C.
D.
3.
[two-syllable words]
[function words]
[synonyms]
[content words]
[the tonic syllable is the most important syllable because intonation will be chosen at that point,
in contrast, to show whether we will say the words in the sentence on a high or low pitch (voice
level) we focus on the:]
A.
B.
C.
D.
[onset syllable]
[first syllable]
[last prominent syllable]
[tonic syllable]
4. [The three-stage process for considering stress within an utterance or sentence is:]
A.
B.
C.
D.
[word stress – prominence - rhythm]
[word stress – prominence - intonation]
[prominence – intonation - rhythm]
[intonation – word stress – sentence meaning]
Weak and Strong forms1 (pp. 73-74): For each statement, circle the weak or strong form which is
not appropriate in that context. Then justify why. Use the chart on p. 74 to help you.
a) / ðæts wɒt aɪm ˈtraɪɪŋ tuː seɪ /
The weak form should be used in this context and especially / tə / because the
preposition is followed by a consonant in the next word.
b) / weəz hi frəm /
This is one of the few examples in which the preposition should have the strong form
/ frɒm / because it appears at the end of a clause or sentence.
c) / hi hæd ˈɔːlredi gɒn /
The verb have is an auxiliary (for the present perfect tense) in this context, so the
weak form pronunciation should be / həd /.
d) / ɪf hi ˈdəznt kʌm wi wɪl nɒt bi ˈeɪbl tə ˈfɪnɪʃ /
The strong form is required when the auxiliary is contracted with the negative form
not, so the strong form pronunciation should be / dʌznt /
1
The vowel sounds which are used in weak forms have changed in the last 5 years. So remind your teacher in class
to teach you the new pronunciations!!
[English Phonetics and Phonology I - IESA]: [TP #4]
Prof. Ricardo J. Palma
Page 3
e) / ʃiz hɪə bʌt tɒm ɪznt /
The contrastive conjunction “but” will only take a strong form pronunciation when the
contrast is emphasized. In this context, the weak form pronunciation / bət / should
be used instead.
f) / ʃiz æn ˈɑːkɪtəkt /
The strong form pronunciation for the indefinite article is very are. The weak
form pronunciation
g) / wɒt dəz jʊə bɒs θɪŋk /
Stress marks (pp. 75-76): Use the 6 systems for indicating stress (p. 76) and provide
8 examples for each (including words with two syllables, three syllables, four syllables
and five syllables). You can repeat the words for each system.
[English Phonetics and Phonology I - IESA]: [TP #4]
Prof. Ricardo J. Palma
Page 4