one: pronunciation.
The retentive tendency consists in the retention of the primary stress on the parent word: person - personal, or more commonly the retention of the secondary stress on the parent word: 'personal - 1perso'nalily. The difference between constant accent and 'retentive stress consists in that the former remains on the same syllable in all the g forms of a word or in all the derivatives from one and the same root, whereas retinal, stress in a derivative falls on the same syllable on which it falls in the parent word, while i other derivatives from the same root it may be shifted eg: personal.
There are certain categories of English words stressing of which is determined the semantic factor, e.g. compound words and words with the so-called separable prefix The majority of such words have two equally strong stresses, both stressed parts considered to be of equal semantic importance, with the semantic factor thus canceling rhythmic tendency in word stressing, eg
• compound adjectives: hard-working, blue-eyed,
• verbs with post positions sit down, take off
• numerals from 13 to 19: fourteen, sixteen.
It should be noted that the rhythmic tendency becomes operative when such work occur in sentences and the first stress of a double-stressed English word disappears in an immediately or closely preceding word requires stress: a 'very good-looking 'Girl. [3; 175]
IV. English Word Stress functions
In discussingaccentual structure of English words we should turn now to the functional aspect of word stress. Word stress in a language performs three functions. p> I. Word stress constitutes. a word, it organizes the syllables of a word Into a language unit having a definite accentual structure, that is a pattern of relationship among the syllables; a wok4 does not exist without the word stress. Thus the word stress forms the constitutive function. Sound continuum become phrase when it is divided into units organized by word stress into words. p> II. 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 identificatory (or recognitive). Correct accentuation helps the listener to make the process of communication easier, whereas the distorted accentual pattern of words, misplaced word stresses prevent normal understanding. p> Ill. Word stress alone is capable of differentiating the meaning of words or their forms, thus performing its distinctive function. The accentual patterns of words or the degrees of word stress and their positions form oppositions, eg 'import - im'port, 'billow - below.
Word stress in a language performs the following functions:
1. The CONSTITUTIVE function: it organizes the syllables of a word into language unit having a defmite accentual structure, i.e. a pattern of relationship among th syllables. The word does not exist as a lexica 'unit without word stress. p> J. Layer holds the view that lexical stress shows a culminative function: being characteristic property of the word, it is thought to help the listener to judge how many individual words the speaker has produced in a given utterance.
2. The IDENTIFICATORY function: correct lexical stress enables the listener to decode the information in verbal conimuriication adequately, while misplaced word stresses prevent understanding.
3. The DISTINCTI YE/CONTRAST WE function: word stress alone is capable of differentiating the meanings of words or their forms. It should be mentioned though that most words in most languages ​​that use word stress linguistically do not possess minimal pairs based on stress. But still there are about 135 pairs of words of identical orthography in English which could occur either as nouns (With stress on the penultimate syllable) or as verbs (with stress on the final syllable), with a very small number of cases the location of lexical stress alone being the differentiating factor: import (noun) - import (verb), 'insult (Noun) - in'sult (verb). [4; 130]
V. Variation in word stress
The stress patterns of some English words are liable to variations of different kinds. There is free variation of stress location due to some rhythmic and analogical pressures, both of which entail in addition considerable changes of sound pattern in words [3; 182], e.g.
1) in some words of three syllables, there is variation between' --- and-'-patterns: deficit, integral (adj), exquisite .
2) similarly, in words of four syllables, there is variation between first and secon syllable stressing: hospitable, formidable, despicable.
Pronunciation patterns of such words due to the variation in stress placement have...
