In any literature or writing study, one will come across the subject of stress or accent in words. Understanding how stresses work enhances our ability to use words effectively and aids us in hearing the various sounds of words. Though it may seem elementary, stress can be confusing and difficult to find. The basic ways of locating a stress in a word is through pitch, length, and knowing the fundamental rules of stresses.
Finding Stress by Pitch
When speaking a word, note how the pitch changes. Generally, when the pitch of a word is raised, that is where a stress is located. Try speaking the word “cool,” for instance. You will notice that the first two letters raise in pitch and then the last two letters fall in pitch.
With the words that have more syllables, it is still apparent. While speaking the word “wheelbarrow,” you see that the pitch gets higher at “wh” and “ba.” But if one cannot find the stress from pitch alone, then hearing the length can help us.
Finding Stress by Length
Though more subtle than pitch, length can aid us in identifying stresses. For example, the word “find” when spoken aloud is elongated at the “fi,” while the “nd” is very sharp sounding. Similarly, with a longer word such as “incantation,” “ta” sounds long when spoken.
The Fundamental Rules of Stresses
Though there may be many stresses in a word, there can be only one main stress. If a word has more than one stress, they are to put in two categories: main and secondary. A secondary stress can be recognized by its smaller length. As in the word “wheelbarrow,” the stress “wh” has a longer carrying sound than the stress “ba.” Therefore, the main stress is “wh” and the secondary stress is “ba.”
Another way to find a stress is by the rule of vowels. A stress always has to have a vowel. In fact, the way we speak stresses is based on the prominence of vowels, not consonants. Even though a stress may have consonants, the vowels are what really gives power to the stress.
Though the easiest way to know where stresses are in words is by ear, knowing tools and rules can significantly aid us in understanding this linguistic phenomena. With the tools of pitch and length, the rules of main/secondary stresses and vowels, we can successfully locate stresses. Not only is understanding stresses important for study, but also for our everyday use of casual speaking and business.
 |
