2. Positional aspects of a word stress..

English and Russian languages are the languages with a free accent. Positional characteristics of a word accent in English are the result of its historical development which was influenced by the two main tendencies - recessive and rhythmic.

Recessive tendency was typical of two- and polysyllabic words of German origin (stock) where the accent fell on the first or second syllable. In words with prefixes some accent variation was observed: it could fall on a root morpheme (usually in verbs) or on a prefix (in nouns (usually names) or verbs derived from names; so the majority of the German words have a stress on the first syllable of a root: clever, body, water, singing. Now prefixes are unstressed, and instead of them the root morpheme is stressed: before, mistake, begin.

The second tendency is the result of mutual influence of the German words and borrowings, especially from the French language. This tendency is known as the rhythmic tendency. The French borrowings as well as Latin had an accent on the last or the last but one syllable. Under the influence of the rhythmic tendency, the recessive tendency began to lose its positions. According to the rhythmic tendency in a word accent, the word accent should fall on the third syllable from the end: situate, articulate, penetrate, vibrate, personality.

According to both tendencies three-syllable words have an accent on the first syllable: cinema, enemy, situate, recognize.

The words consisting of four syllables, can correspond to both tendencies: architect, criticism, remarkable.

The rhythmic accent is especially typical of words with suffixes --ate,-fy,-ize: situate, qualify, centralize.

The third tendency carries the name of retentive tendency. The key point of it consists in the fact that a derived word frequently preserves an accent of an original word ' similar - as'similate, recom'mend - recommendation.

3. Functional aspect of a word accent.

The verbal accent in language carries out three functions.

1. Organizes syllables in words, thus, carrying out its constitutive function. Due to an accent a word becomes a word. A flow of sounds becomes a phrase when it is divided into units organized by a word accent in words.

2. The word accent has distinctive function. It is brightly expressed in the ability of an accent to distinguish the meaning of words or word forms: object - to object, conduct - to conduct, record – to record.

3. The word accent allows the listener to recognize a sequence of sounds as a certain accent structure of a word. This function of an accent is recognitive functions of a word accent. Due to this function the process of communication gets easier while incorrect distribution of an accent makes the process complicated.

II. Accent structures in English language.

The accent structure of the English words is closely connected to syllabic structure because a syllable bears(carries) on itself an accent, i.e. is the accent centre of a word.

Speaking about accent structures and accent types of words, it is obviously necessary to give definitions to these two terms.

Rather known Russian linguist George Torsuev defines(determines) accent types of words as special structural units of phonetic system of the English language which consist from:

- The certain quantity(amount) of shock syllables (for example (' _ _), ('_' _), (' _ _ ' _))

- Also differ according to a degree of immediacy(degree of stress).

Distribution of shock syllables inside accent types is formed by accent structures of words which depend on distribution of an accent inside accent type. For example (' _ _ ' _ _ absent-minded), ('_' _ _ good-looking), ('_' _ '_' _ USSR, USA), (' _ __ '_' _ misrepresent).

In system of the English accent linguists - phoneticians and researchers allocate from 4 up to 11 accent types of words and more than 100 accent structures. Not the secret, as accent type and accent structure are closely connected to morphological structure of a word, quantity(amount) of syllables, the semantic importance of his(its) components etc. Acknowledgement(confirmation) to these words can be found in works Торсуева, Гимсона, Шиллера etc.

Among huge quantity(amount) of accent structures, the most frequency are the following:

- Simple or terse words (_) - land, send;

- 2-3-4 complex(difficult) words, which have an accent on the first syllable ' _ _ (_ _) father, possibly, mother-in-law, probability;

- 2-3-4 complex(difficult) words, which have an accent on the second syllable _ ' _ (_ _) permit, admit, permission, exclusive

- Structures which include multicomplex(multidifficult) words and complex(difficult) words:

a) a secondary accent + an initial accent ֽ _ ' _ magazine, hospitality

b) initial + tertiary ' _ _ ֽ _ decorate, concentrate

c) initial + initial '_' _ radio-active, rewrite, disobey (basically complex(difficult) words)

The most known typological classification of accent types belongs to George Torsuevu. It(he) allocates 11 accent types into which 4 above mentioned types enter. We shall not consider(examine) in detail this classification since we shall discuss it at seminars. I.e. someone will do(make) the message of you on this theme, and also on a theme вариативности accent types in different variants of the English language (too the message)

It is necessary to note, that accent structures of words are very various in the messenger of speech. Structures can vary or vary under influence of a rhythm.

An 'unpolished' stone The ' stone was un'polished

'Find' page four'teen We 'counted' fourteen ' birds.

Above mentioned examples testify that the accent structure of words in the messenger of speech is closely connected to an accent in the offer. So the accent structure of words predetermines an accent in a phrase as the accent in the offer falls on that syllable in a word which is marked by an accent. At the same time the accent in the offer is caused by semantic and syntactic factors. Words which ударны in a phrase is полнознаменательные words. However any word can have an accent if it has the certain semantic value. Both types of an accent (verbal and statements) are subject to influence of a rhythm. Both in that and in the other case unaccented syllables alternate with shock at regular intervals.

The difference between these kinds of an accent nevertheless is obvious. The first distinction consists in sphere of their appendix or practical application. So the verbal accent is applied to a word as to linguistic unit, and the accent in the offer is directed on a phrase. Second, distinctions in rhythmic structure of a word and a phrase it can be clear прослежена when полнознаменательные words become unaccented in phrase I ' don’t think he is ' right.

Thus, in the messenger of speech the phonetic structure of a word gets the additional characteristics connected to a rhythm, a melody of speech and rate.

And, certainly, functions of these two kinds of accents are absolutely various. The phrase accent organizes the offer in linguistic unit, and the verbal accent has three basic functions which we have discussed earlier (конститутивная, рекогнитивная and дистинктивная).