Word Stress
In every language there are rules and patterns to how the words are pronounced.
What is stress?
In linguistics, stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word, or to certain words in a phrase or sentence. Stress is typically signaled by such properties as increased loudness and vowel length, full articulation of the vowel, and changes pitch.
Ex. present vs. present
project vs. project
Depending where you place the stress in a word can change the meaning of the word.
What are syllables?
Syllables are combinations of vowels and consonants to make up a word.
What are the rules for identifying the stress in a word?
Here are some basic rules that govern the stress in words.
1. If a word ends in a vowel, n, or s, the second-to-last syllable receives the stress.
a. FRUtas b. COmen c. HAblo
2. If a word does NOT end in a vowel, n, or s, the last syllable gets the stress.
a. ofreCER b. activiDAD c. aniMAL
3. If a word has an accent on an irregular stress point based on rules 1 and 2, forget rules 1 and 2 and stress the mark
a. FÓRmula b. LÁMpara c. meCÁnico
4. If a word has an accent on a regular stress point, it is because that word has two meanings and the accent is a visible marker to differentiate meanings.
a. si/sí b. como/cómo c. que/qué
What is stress?
In linguistics, stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word, or to certain words in a phrase or sentence. Stress is typically signaled by such properties as increased loudness and vowel length, full articulation of the vowel, and changes pitch.
Ex. present vs. present
project vs. project
Depending where you place the stress in a word can change the meaning of the word.
What are syllables?
Syllables are combinations of vowels and consonants to make up a word.
What are the rules for identifying the stress in a word?
Here are some basic rules that govern the stress in words.
1. If a word ends in a vowel, n, or s, the second-to-last syllable receives the stress.
a. FRUtas b. COmen c. HAblo
2. If a word does NOT end in a vowel, n, or s, the last syllable gets the stress.
a. ofreCER b. activiDAD c. aniMAL
3. If a word has an accent on an irregular stress point based on rules 1 and 2, forget rules 1 and 2 and stress the mark
a. FÓRmula b. LÁMpara c. meCÁnico
4. If a word has an accent on a regular stress point, it is because that word has two meanings and the accent is a visible marker to differentiate meanings.
a. si/sí b. como/cómo c. que/qué
