SEMINARIO DE FONÉTICA Y DICCIÓN
Rita Aldorino, MA
ORAN, SALTA 2012
INTONATION AND MEANING: Some Practical Notions
SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES OF SPEECH
WORD STRESS
 All words of more than one syllable have what is called word stress. This means that at least one of the
syllables is l o n g e r and louder than the other syllables. In the following examples, stressed syllables are in
capital letters:
Column A
PHOtograph
PENcil
MARyland
Column B
phoTOgraphy
comMITtee
soCIety
Column C
photoGRAphic
volunTEER
inforMAtion
 In many cases, word stress must simply be learned as new vocabulary is acquired. However, there are
several rules for word stress, which can make it easier to deal with.
BASIC PRINCIPLES of WORD STRESS
I. Stress shift depends on the source of the word, i.e. whether the word is of Latin of Anglo-Saxon origin.
Although it may be hard to tell one from the other, words derived from Latin usually have a stress shift in
compounds, or in words derived from a root.
Anglo-Saxon
Latin
Child (hood/ like/ dish/ ly)
Electric ( ity / ical/ trician/
II. Compound Nouns:
bluebird
bookstore
blackboard
toothbrush
notebook
keyboard
 In each of these examples, the first part of the compound gets the stress (uneven stress)
II. Noun + Noun Compounds ( 2-word compound nouns)
air conditioner
French fry
computer programmer
Geiger counter
nail polish
doctor's office
 Similar to the rule for compound nouns, the first part of the compound--here, the first word--gets the
stress. (Note: If the "unstressed" part of the noun + noun compound is more than one syllable, it will have
some word stress. However, the first part of the compound will get even more stress.)
III. Phrasal Verbs versus Compound Nouns derived from phrasal
 Phrasal verbs (two-word or two-part verbs) are generally made up of a verb and preposition. For many of
these, correct word stress is especially important as they have compound noun counterparts. In the following
examples, the words on the left are phrasal verbs. The words on the right are nouns.
let down
shut out
print out
turn off
take over
letdown
shutout
printout
turnoff
takeover
 In phrasal verbs, the preposition gets the word stress. If they have a noun counterpart, however, it gets
the stress on the first part.
Source : http://www.soundsofenglish.org/pronunciation/suprasegmentals
http://pronunciation.englishclub.com/word-stress.htm
SEMINARIO DE FONÉTICA Y DICCIÓN
Rita Aldorino, MA
ORAN, SALTA 2012
INTONATION AND MEANING: Some Practical Notions
PROMINENCE
A. In the section below there is Role A and Role B. Choose one of the two, and your neighbor will perform
the other one left. Conveying the right meaning is highly relevant! Make use of stress and intonation to
suggest the suitable meaning for each response
A
It is a pity you weren´t at the party
Did you say you were at the barbecue?
Did you say James was at the party?
B
I was at the party
I was at the party
I was at the party
B. Following the same principle, identify meaning in the following utterances by matching A and B
A
1. I´ll walk with you to the station
B
But I am not going with them.
2. I´ll walk with you to the station
But not back again!
3. I´ll walk with you to the station
But not as far as the pub
4. I´ll walk with you to the station
I don´t want to bring my car
C. Provide an appropriate comment/question/ statement for the part missing in the following dialogue.
Remember implied information is conveyed through intonation and stress
A. …………………………………………………
B. We don´t serve pancakes, sir.
A. ………………………………………………….
B. But we don´t serve pancakes
A. ………………………………………………….
B. We don´t serve pancakes
A. ……………………………………………………
B. We don´t serve pancakes!
F. Now, can you think of other examples to illustrate the role of stress and intonation in discourse? In pairs,
prepare a situation you would use with your students in your English class
A. …………………………………………………
B.. …………………………………………………
A. ………………………………………………….
B. …………………………………………………
A. ………………………………………………….
B. …………………………………………………
A. ……………………………………………………
B. …………………………………………………
BASIC INTONATION PATTERNS
A. What do the following utterances mean? Base your answer on the various functions of intonation
NOTE: each statement may have more than one meaning!
SEMINARIO DE FONÉTICA Y DICCIÓN
Rita Aldorino, MA
ORAN, SALTA 2012
INTONATION AND MEANING: Some Practical Notions
1. He wrote the letter sadly
2. Four plus six divided by two equals … (results depends on use of intonation)
3. Those who sold quickly made a profit
4. a. We broke one thing after another fell down.
b. We broke one thing after another that night.
B. Supply an appropriate intonation pattern for each of the underlined syllables
1. This train is for Leeds, York, Darlington and Durham.
2. Can you give me a lift?
Possibly. Where to?
3. No! Certainly not! Go away!
4.
A. Did you know he’d been convicted of drunken driving?
B. No!
5. If I give him money, he goes and spends it.
If I lend him the bike he loses it.
He’s completely unreliable.
C. Use different intonation patterns in the following. What is the difference at discourse level?
1. What’s your name?
2. What color is your car?
3. You’re French, aren’t you?
RESOURCES
 Celce- Murcia, M. ;Brinton, D; Goodwin, J. Teaching Pronunciation. Cambridge University Press
 Hancock, M. Pronunciation Games. Cambridge University Press
 Jones, D. English Pronouncing Dictionary. Longman
 Kelly, G. How to Teach Pronunciation. Longman
 Roach, P. English Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge University Press
 Wells, J. C. Pronunciation Dictionary. Longman
Questions? Comments? I will be very glad to receive your feedback
raldorino@yahoo.com