Stress in English
Word stress in English is variable and contrastive. Misplacing stress can create a different word entirely, as with REcord and reCORD.
Stress combines duration, pitch, loudness, and full vowel quality. In English, vowel quality is typically the strongest cue.
Certain suffixes systematically shift stress and alter reduction patterns:
- PHOtograph
- phoTOgraphy
- photoGRAPHic
Nuclear (sentence) stress marks the most informative word in an intonation phrase. Moving this stress changes the intended meaning entirely:
- I didn't say SHE stole the money (someone else did)
- I didn't SAY she stole the money (I merely implied it)
The Lingua Franca Core and Intelligibility
Jennifer Jenkins established the Lingua Franca Core by observing communication breakdowns between non-native speakers of English.
Matters for intelligibility:
- Most consonants and initial aspiration
- Consonant clusters, especially word-initial ones
- Vowel length contrasts
- Nuclear stress placement
Does not matter much:
- The dental th sounds
- Vowel quality, provided length contrasts remain clear
- Weak forms and connected speech processes
- Word stress and intonation contours
Three Dimensions of Accent
Research by Munro and Derwing separates pronunciation into three distinct dimensions:
| Dimension | Question | Measured by |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligibility | How much was understood? | Transcription accuracy |
| Comprehensibility | How hard was it to follow? | Listener effort ratings |
| Accentedness | How different is the accent? | Listener accent ratings |
Crucially, a strong accent can be entirely intelligible.
Common pitfall: This model does not dismiss pronunciation teaching. It shows which specific features actually prevent communication breakdowns.