The definition and general characteristics of word-stress.

The Accentual Structure of English

The definition and general characteristics of word-stress.

Inseparable from the syllabic structure of words is their accentual structure (or stress-pattern) because the sequence of syllables in the word is not pronounced identically. If the syllable or syllables of the word are uttered with special prominence they are said to be stressed, or accented. Special prominence should not be mixed up with the inherent prominence of speech sounds, their carrying power which is determined according to the scale of sonority. Special prominence is given to that or this syllable on purpose in order to single it out among the other syllables. The correlation of varying prominence of syllables in a word is the accentual structure of the word, or its stress-pattern.

Actually it is the vowel in a syllable which is made specially prominent and is a carrier of stress. Special prominence of a vowel and thus of the whole syllable is acquired partly by means of a stronger current of air (by a stronger expiration), but mostly by a more energetic articulation energy which produces the impression of loudness. The influence of more energetic expiration upon stress is not so important as the role of articulation, because vowels do not require a stronger current of air in order to be intensified, what they need is an intensification of musical tone, which is achieved through the tenseness of the vocal cords, the walls of the resonance chamber and all the speech organs in general.

So, in any stressed syllable the force of utterance is greater, which is connected with more energetic articulation; the pitch of the voice is higher which is connected with stronger tenseness of the vocal cords and the walls of the resonance chamber; the quantity of the vowel is greater, which means that the vowel becomes longer, the quality of the vowel is different, which means that the vowel sounds very distinct.

There are several definitions of word-stress, all of them are correct, it is difficult to state which of them is more precise as they are focused on different aspects:

1). Word-stress is the singling out of one or more syllables in a word which is accompanied by the change of the force of utterance, pitch of the voice, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the sound, which is usually a vowel.

2). Word-stress is a complex phenomenon, marked by the variations in force, pitch, quantity and quality.

3). Word-stress is a greater degree of prominence, given to one or more syllables in a word, which singles it out through changes in the pitch and intensity of the voice and results in qualitative and quantitative modifications of sounds in the accented syllable.

Many synonymous terms are used in the description of the nature of stress such as force, power, intensity, prominence, accent, amplitude, loudness.

Prominence is a broader term than stress. It can be inherent, which depends on the sonority of sounds. It can be special which is obtained by the components of word stress. In speech prominence is strengthened by the components of intonation.

According to some sources there is a slight difference between word-accent and word-stress. Word-accent is regarded as a constituent feature of a word pronounced in isolation as a vocabulary item, whereas word-stress deals with the place of accentuation in words and its functions in speech.

The discrepancy in the other terms is due to the fact that there are several aspects on which word-stress can be analyzed. On the productive (or articulatory) level word-stress is connected with the power, or force of articulation. On the acoustic level word-stress is connected with the intensity, or amplitude of the vibrations of the vocal cords. On the receptive (or auditory) level word-stress is associated with greater loudness.

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