Word accent

Word accent 
How should the words he accented? Discuss it in detail.

Introduction:-

        We know now phonemes and syllables. A word is composed of them. In word there can be strong and weak syllables. One syllable is strong or heavy. It spoken with greater prominence than the others. The syllable which is given prominence is called as accented. It receives the accent. In another word we can say it is emphasized or stressed. There is greater force. Where there are many syllables in a word, many syllables can prominent. The word ‘examination’ have five syllables: /ig,zæmi`nei¦nl The fourth syllable ‘/-nei/ and second one /za:/ are more prominent. Other syllables are called weak. But when we speak the word any one will notice /nei/ is more prominent than /za:/

        Because of the force the /nei/ sound is longer. In articulation if we observe closely, we shall find there is a movement from one place to other in it articulation. This called a pitch. In a polysyllable word, a syllable which takes a pitch is said to receive ‘primary accent’ or ‘tonic accent’ Any other prominent syllable in the same word is called secondary accent.

Marking of Accent:-

        For foreign readers it is difficult how to know/ pronounce any word according to accent. There is a method to do. Many dictionaries use various styles. But Daniel Johnes ‘An English Pronouncing Dictionary’ has the style of using vertical bar. It is generally known one.

        Primary and secondary accents are marked. Primary accent is marked with a vertical bare above and in front of the syllable. Secondary is marked at below at in front of the syllable. E.g.

examination  = /ig,zæmi`nei¦nl

international = /,int`næ¦nl/

        For English learners difficulty is increased because accent is free as well as fixed. Sometimes the accent is not associated with a particular syllable or a word. It is said to be free. Yet the accent is fixed as well. Sometimes it occur on the first syllable e. g. `teacher, `wisdom,` cancel, `doctor. In disyllabic words it fall on the second syllable e.g. ‘be`come, re`mark, se`rene. In trisyllabic words it may fall on first, second or third syllable. They have been marked in the following example.  

First syllable: - `advertise, `anything, `beautiful.

Second syllable: - a`greement, ar`tistic, de`vel.

Third syllable: - ciga`rette, disap`point, under`stand

        For any misunderstanding or rather to move proper understanding dictionary would very much useful.

Shifting in syllables:-

 There are words which take place from one original word. We know them as derivated words. In such cases shifting of syllables take place. No doubt it adds difficulties. Yet this is also surprising in many of words even though derivation takes place no shift is found. E.g. ‘a`gree’ and ‘a`greement’. But look the following words.

a`cademy: aca`demic: acade`mician

ex`amine: exami`nee: exami`nation

`politics: po`litical: poli`tician

Nouns, adjective or verb:-

        Variety of accents is noticeable. According to grammatical function a word is accented. If a word is an adjective or noun, the accent falls on the first syllable. If the word is verb, accented is marked on second syllables. e.g.

Word               Noun/Adj.               Verb

Absent             /`æbsnt/          /æb`snt/

Concert           /`knst/           /kn`s:t/

Conduct         /`knd^kt/                /kn`d^kt/

Digest              /`daid3est/               /di`d3est/

Present            /`preznt/          /pri`zent/

Some words don’t follow this pattern at all. They remain same whether they are a noun adjective or verb. e.g. ‘`limiy’, ‘`order’, ‘re`mar, ‘`visit’.

Accent in compound words:-

Two separate words are often joined. Sometime hyphen is placed between but sometime it may not be but accent is marked on the first words generally. e.g.

`Air raid      `lifeboat

`Blackbird   `rain coat

`Footprint    `tea-partly

Word with ‘ever’ and ‘self’ receive the accent e.g.

Her`self       how`ever

My`self        when`ever

Some compound words have accent on both the elements. In such cases primary accent falls on second element e.g.

,Home-`made      ,good-`noon

,After-`noon        ,country-`house

It looks chaotic in using the word accent but some rules would be useful. They are:

weak prefixes accent on the root. e.g.

aboard - /a`b:d/          below - /bi`lu/

abroad - /a`br:d/        alone - /a`laun/

Inflecxional suffixes –ed, -es, and –ing donot affect the accent in a main word. e.g.

re`late – re`lated

sub`mit – sub`mitted

com`pose – com`poses

dis`ease – dis`eases

`happen - `happening

`reason - `reasoning.

The derivational suffixes –age. –ance, - en, -er, -ess, -ful, -hood, -ment, -ness, etc. don’t normally affect the accent e.g.

–age         `carry              `carriage

–ance       at`tend             at`tendance

–en `bright             `brighten

–er   be`gin              be`ginner

–ess         `tiger                `tigeress

–ful `beauty    `beautiful

–hood      `brother   `brotherhood

–ment      `manage  `management

–ship        `scholar   `scholarship

Word ending in ‘-ion take the primary accent where ‘-ion’ sound is to begin or the third syllable from the last.

admi`ration      deco`ration

`notion             `motion

Words ending ‘-ic’, ‘-ical’, ‘-ically’, ‘-iou’, ‘-ial’, ‘-ially, take the primary accent before syllable preceding the suffix e.g.

–ic           pa`thatic

–icous      no`torious

–ial me`morial

Words ending in ‘-ity’ take the accent on the third syllable from the end. e.g.

a`bility             oppur`tanity   gene`rosity       ele`cricity.

Word accent is a complex process, difficult and interesting both.