8. Word accent as a component of the phonetic structure of a word and its functions. Acoustic and perceptual cues to word accent. Types of word accents. Linguistically relevant degreed of word stress.

Word stress – is a great degree of prominence given to one or more syllables in a word. Stressed and unstressed syllables differ in quantity and quality. They are longer when stressed and carry vowels of full formation. When unstressed they undergo reduction and become shorter.

Word stress should be considered from the point of view of: 1. its place in a word; 2. its degree.

There are 2 degreed of word stress: primary and strong (marked above the syllable) and secondary or weak (marked under the syllable). The place of word-stress depends on the quantity of syllables in a word.

Accent types of words

1. Mono-, dis- and trisyllabic words are stressed on the 1^st syllable. In words with unseparable prefixes the stress falls on the syllable next to the prefix (begin, prepare)

2. Most of 4-syllable words have the stress laid on the 3^rd syllabograph from the end. Political, historical.

3. Compound nouns are stressed on the 1^st component, the 2^nd though unstressed, has a vowel of full formation. Blackboard, bookstand.

4. Polysyllabic words have the primary stress on the 3 syllabograph rom the end and a secondary stress on the second pretonic syllable. University, Examination, assimilation

5. The following groups of words have 2 primary stresses

   • Numerals (13-19)

   • Compound adjectives well-known, good-looking

   • Composite verb get up, sit down

   • Words with separable prefixes unknown, subtitle

The functional aspects of word tress:

1. Word stress constitutes word, it organized the syllables of a word into a language unit having a definite accentual structure, that is a pattern of relationship among the syllables: a word doesn’t exist without the word stress. Sound continuum becomes a phrase when it is divided into units organized by word stress into words.

2. Word stress enables a person to identify a succession of syllables as a definite accentual pattern of a word. This function of word stress is known as indentificatory.

3. Word stress alone is capable of differentiating the meaning of words or their forms, thus performing its distinctive function.

8. Word accentuation tendencies and basic word stress patterns in English. Rhythmical patterns of lexical stress in words of Anglo-Saxon origin and in French borrowings.

I would like to point out that the accentual structure of English words is liable to instability due to the different origin of several layers in the modern English wordstock. In Germanic languages the word stress originally fell on the initial syllable or the 2^nd syllable, the root syllable in the English words with prefixes. This tendency was called recessive. Most English words of Anglo-Saxon origin as well as the French borrowings are subjected to this recessive tendency. Unrestrictive recessive tendency observed in the native English words having no prefix – mother, daughter, brother; in assimilated French borrowings – reason, colour, restaurant. Restricted recessive tendency marks English words with prefixes – begin, apart, foresee. A great number of words of Anglo-Saxon origin are monosyllabic or disyllabic.

The rhythm of alternating stressed and unstressed syllables have birth to the rhythmical tendency in the present-day English caused the appearance of the secondary stress in the multisyllabic French borrowings – evolution, assimilation.

The appearance of the stress on the 1^st syllable is the result of the recessive tendency and at the same time adaptation to the rhythmical tendency.

A 3^rd tendency was traces in the instability of the accentual structure of English word stress, the retentive tendency.