8. What factors determine the place and different degree of word-stress?

In spite of the fact that word accent in the English stress system is free, there are certain factors that determine the place and different degree of word-stress. V. A. Vassilyev describes them as follows:

(1) recessive tendency, (2) rhythmic tendency, (3) retentive tend-ency and (4) semantic factor.

(1) Recessive tendency results in placing the word-stress on the initial syllable. It can be of two sub-types: (a) unrestricted reces¬sive accent, which falls ön the first syllable: father /'faSs/, mother /'тлЗэ/ and (b) restricted recessive accent, which is characterized Ъу placing the word accent on the root of the word if this word Jias a prefix, which has lost its meaning: become /Ь1<клт/, begin bi

(2) Rhythmic tendency results in alternating stressed and un¬

stressed syllables, e.g. pronunciation /ргэ|1Ш151!е1,Гэ>п/.

(3) Retentive tendency consists in the retention of the primary

.accent on the parent word, e.g. person—personal /ip3:sn—!ps:snl/.

More commonly it is retained on the parent word as a secondary

accent, e.g. similar—similarity /'stmib—isnniHaentr/.

(4) Semantic factor.

9. What rules of word-stress are: a)for prefixal words; b) for compound words?

Given below are the rules of word-stress in English:

1. In words of 2 or 3 syllables the primary stress mostly falls on the first syllable, e.g. terror, Cabinet, sensible.

2. In prefixal words the primary stress typically falls on the syllable following the prefix, e.g. impossible, recall, behind.

3. In prefixal words with prefixes having their own meaning, the place of stress is on the prefix, e. g. ^anti-capitalist, \non-Party,ex-minister, ■ W ice-president, ^ultra-fashionable,

4. In prefixal verbs which are distinguished from similarly spelt nouns and adjectives, the place of stress is on the second syllable, nouns and adjectives have their stress on the initial syllable, e.g.

verb noun adjective

to compound — 'compound

to in'crease I increase —

1 Gimson A. C. Op. cit.

5. Suffixes: -esce, -esque, -ate, -ize, -fy, -ette, -ique, -ее, -eer,-ade have the place of stress on the preceding syllable or en themselves, e.g. [picturesque, \Cigairette, technique, \re\e\ree, \рШпеег,\tnarVnade, fluaWfy, tspecia4ize, dictate.

6. Suffixes: -ical, -ic, -ion, -ity, -ian, -dent, -ieticy, -eous,-ual, -uous, -ety, -itous, -ive, -ative (-Hive), -itude, -ident, -inal,-ital, -wards have the place of stress on the preceding syllable, e.g. economic, grammatical, position, majority, ^special, etc.

7. In words of four or more syllables the place of stress is on the antepenultimate syllable (third from the end), e.g. Emergency fcaHamity, historical.

In compound words the first element is stressed when:

1. compounds are written as one word, e. g. lappletree, bedroom caretaker, 'watchdog, ^downcast;

2. nouns are compounded of a verb and an adverb, e. g. a 'pickup, a ^make-up;

3. nouns in the possessive case are followed by another noun» e. g. a \doWs house, Hady's maid.

In compound words the second element is stressed when:

1. food items have the first element which is of a material used in manufacturing the whole, e. g. apple Hart',

2. names of roads, parks and squares are implied, e. g. CaUhedral iRoad, Park Wace (but CaHhedral street);

3. parts of the house and other buildings are implied, e.g. front idoor, kitchen ^window;

4. adjectives with past participles characterizing'personsi e.g. thick-skinned, cold-blooded (but \downcast);

5. compound nouns ending in -er or -ing are followed by an adverb, e.g. passer iby, summing 'кр.