CHAPTER 7: STRESS - WORD STRESS AND SENTENCE STRESS IN CONNECTED SPEECH
7.1 INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS STRESS?
Imagine saying the word "PUN-jab." Now say
"pun-JAB." Does it sound right? Probably not. That's because every
English word has a specific beat or emphasis on
one part. This emphasis is called stress.
Stress is the extra force, loudness, and clarity we give
to one part of a word (syllable) or to specific words in a sentence. It's
like highlighting the most important part of what you're saying. For Punjabi
speakers learning English, mastering stress is a game-changer. It can be the
difference between sounding clear and natural, or unclear and difficult to
understand.
Think of it as the rhythm of English. Just as in
a song, the beat matters.
We mark stress with a vertical line ( ' ) before the
stressed syllable.
- Word
Stress: 'teacher (TEA-cher), be'gin (be-GIN)
- Sentence
Stress: 'Bring me the 'book.
7.2 WORD STRESS
This is about which syllable (word-part
with one vowel sound) we emphasize within a single word.
Why is Word Stress Important?
- Changes
Meaning: Some words change their meaning (and part of speech)
when the stress shifts.
- PRE-sent (a
gift, noun) vs. pre-SENT (to give, verb)
- RE-cord (information
stored, noun) vs. re-CORD (to capture, verb)
- Aids
Comprehension: Misplaced stress makes words hard to recognize.
Saying "HO-tel" instead of "ho-TEL" can confuse a
listener.
- Gives
English its Rhythm: It creates the "da-DUM da-DUM"
pattern.
Basic Patterns of Word Stress:
While there are many rules (and exceptions), here are the
most common patterns for primary-level vocabulary:
- Two-Syllable
Words:
- Stress
on FIRST Syllable (Most Common): 'Fa-ther, 'Tea-cher, 'Ap-ple,
'Sis-ter, 'Wa-ter.
- Stress
on SECOND Syllable: a-'Gain, be-'Gin, re-'ply, ho-'tel, to-'day.
- Three-Syllable
Words:
- Stress
on FIRST Syllable: 'Di-ffi-cult, 'Ex-er-cise, 'Fa-mi-ly.
- Stress
on SECOND Syllable: Po-'ta-to, re-'mem-ber, De-'cem-ber.
- Stress
on LAST Syllable: engi-'neer, volun-'teer.
Classroom Strategy for Teaching Word Stress:
Don't teach rules. Use the Clap-and-Say Method.
- Write
the word: TEACHER
- Break
it into syllables: TEA - CHER
- Clap
and say: LOUD-soft (Big clap on TEA, small clap on cher).
- Use
gestures: A big arm movement on the stressed syllable.
- Fun
Activity: Write words on cards. Students pick a card and
"jump" on the stressed syllable (step forward for the stressed
part, step back for the unstressed).
7.3 SENTENCE STRESS
This is about which words we
emphasize within a whole sentence when we speak naturally.
The Golden Rule of Sentence Stress:
Content Words (carry the main information)
are STRESSED.
Function Words (grammatical glue) are UNSTRESSED (or
have a weak form).
|
Stressed (Content Words) |
Unstressed (Function Words) |
|
Nouns (book, girl, Punjab) |
Articles (a, an, the) |
|
Main Verbs (run, eat, think) |
Prepositions (in, on, at, of) |
|
Adjectives (big, happy, red) |
Conjunctions (and, but, or) |
|
Adverbs (quickly, now, very) |
Helping/Auxiliary Verbs (am, is, are, can,
have) |
|
Question Words (What, Where, Why) |
Pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, me, him) |
Examples in Connected Speech:
- The GIRL read a BOOK.
(Nouns & main verb are stressed)
- WHAT are
you DO-ing? (Question word & main verb stressed)
- It's
a BIG and BEAU-ti-ful house. (Adjectives
stressed; "and" & "a" are weak)
Changing Stress to Change Meaning (Focus Stress):
We can break the normal rule to highlight or
contrast a particular piece of information. This changes the meaning
of the sentence.
- NEELA is
my friend. (Not Preet. I'm talking about Neela.)
- Neela IS my
friend. (Why are you saying she's not? I'm insisting she is.)
- Neela
is MY friend. (Not your friend. She's my friend.)
- Neela
is my FRIEND. (We are not enemies; we are friends.)
Weak Forms: The Secret to Natural English Rhythm
Unstressed function words are pronounced in a quick, reduced
way called a weak form. This is essential for smooth, connected
speech.
- Strong
Form (When Stressed): Can you do it? /kæn/ | Yes,
I CAN. /kæn/
- Weak
Form (When Unstressed): I can speak. /kən/
(sounds like "kun")
- to: I
want TO go. /tu:/ vs. I want to GO. /tə/ (sounds like
"tuh")
- and: Bread AND butter.
/ænd/ vs. bread and BUT-ter /ən/ (sounds like
"n")
7.4 HOW WORD STRESS AND SENTENCE STRESS WORK TOGETHER
This is the magic of connected speech. The
rhythm of an English sentence comes from the combination of stressed syllables
from the content words. The unstressed words and syllables get squeezed in
between these beats.
Example: Let's look at the sentence: "The
clever girl finished her homework quickly."
- Identify
Content Words: clever (adj), girl (noun), finished (verb), homework (noun), quickly (adv).
- Find
their Word Stress:
- CLEV-er (stress
on 1st syllable)
- GIRL (one
syllable = stressed)
- FIN-ished (stress
on 1st syllable)
- HOME-work (stress
on 1st syllable)
- QUICK-ly (stress
on 1st syllable)
- Build
the Sentence Rhythm: The stressed syllables from these words
become the beats:
- The CLEV-er GIRL FIN-ished
her HOME-work QUICK-ly.
- DA-da DUM DA-da DUM da DA-da DA-da.
The function words (the, her) and the unstressed
syllables (-er, -ed, -work, -ly) become the quick, soft sounds between
the beats. This creates the natural music of English.
Practical Tip for Teachers: Teach your students
to hum the sentence first. Hum only the stressed beats: "mmm
MMM mmm MMM mmm MMM mmm MMM." Then, fit the words into that rhythm. This
builds natural-sounding fluency.
EXERCISE: ANSWERS
1. What is stress?
- Introduction: In
the context of spoken English, stress is a fundamental prosodic feature
that gives the language its characteristic rhythm and intelligibility. It
refers to the relative emphasis or prominence given to certain syllables
within words and to certain words within sentences.
- Definition
and Explanation: Stress can be defined as the degree of force,
loudness, and clarity with which a sound or syllable is uttered. It
involves a combination of increased pitch (higher note), greater loudness,
longer duration, and clearer vowel quality. In phonetic notation, it is
marked by a vertical stroke (') preceding the stressed syllable.
- Conclusion: Understanding
and correctly using stress is not optional for clear communication in
English. It is as crucial as using the correct sounds and grammar. For a
learner, especially one from a syllable-timed language background like
Punjabi, mastering stress is key to moving from disjointed, robotic speech
to fluent, natural-sounding English.
2. Explain word stress and sentence stress in connected
speech.
- Introduction: Word
stress and sentence stress are the two interconnected layers of emphasis
that create the rhythm and meaning of spoken English. When combined in the
flow of natural conversation, they constitute connected speech.
- Explanation:
- Word
Stress: This is the emphasis placed on a particular syllable
within a single word. Every multi-syllabic English word has a fixed
stress pattern (e.g., HAP-py, a-WAY, under-STAND). Misplacing
word stress can make a word unrecognizable or change its meaning
(e.g., PRE-sent vs. pre-SENT).
- Sentence
Stress: This is the emphasis placed on specific words within
a stream of words to convey the core message. The general rule is
that content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives,
adverbs) are stressed, while function words (articles,
prepositions, conjunctions, pronouns, auxiliary verbs) are unstressed and
often reduced to their weak forms (e.g., /tə/ for to, /kən/
for can).
- How
They Work in Connected Speech: In natural, connected speech, the
stressed syllables of the content words become the rhythmic beats of the
sentence. The unstressed function words and the unstressed syllables of
content words are compressed and spoken quickly between these beats. This
creates the "stress-timed" rhythm of English, where the time
between stressed syllables tends to be equal.
- Example: "The BIG DOG CHASED the CAT."
The beats fall on BIG, DOG, CHASED, CAT. The words "the" and
"the" are weak and quick.
- Conclusion: Therefore,
connected speech is not a string of individually stressed words, but a
fluid sequence where word stress provides the building blocks and sentence
stress organizes them into a meaningful, rhythmic pattern. Mastering this
interplay is essential for both listening comprehension and speaking
fluency.
3. How does word stress differ from sentence stress?
- Introduction: While
both word stress and sentence stress involve the principle of emphasis,
they operate at different linguistic levels and serve distinct, though
complementary, functions in spoken English.
- Key
Differences:
|
Feature |
Word Stress |
Sentence Stress |
|
Scope |
Operates within a single word. |
Operates across a phrase or sentence. |
|
What is Stressed |
A specific syllable (e.g., the first,
second, or third). |
Specific content words (nouns, main
verbs, etc.). |
|
Function |
1. Lexical: Helps identify the word
itself. |
1. Communicative: Highlights the most
important information in the message. |
|
Flexibility |
Generally fixed. The stress pattern of a
dictionary word doesn't change. |
Highly flexible. It changes based on the
speaker's intent and the context of the conversation. |
|
Effect of Getting it Wrong |
The word may become unintelligible or
mean something different. |
The sentence may sound unnatural, robotic, or
convey the wrong focus, but will likely still be understood. |
- Conclusion: In
essence, word stress is about correct pronunciation of vocabulary,
while sentence stress is about effective communication of ideas.
A learner must master word stress to be understood at the word level, and
master sentence stress to sound natural and to manipulate meaning at the
discourse level. They are two sides of the same coin, both vital for
proficient spoken English.
