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Introduction to Word Stress

in American English

Jennifer Tarle M.A. CCC-SLPwww.TarleSpeech.com

Jennifer@TarleSpeech.com

Components of Speaking Clarity

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• Sounds• Consonants • Vowels

• Words • Syllable Stress

• Nouns

• Verbs

• Compound Nouns• Phrasal Verbs

• Phrase/Sentences • Intonation

• Content Words

• Function Words

• Focus Word

Syllables

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• Word or part of a word with a vowel • CVC

• pen, pack, men

• CV• me, my, see

• VC• up, at, on

• V• I, you, oh

• Syllables can stand alone, or be combined into words • Jen (1: jen) • Jenny (2: je-nee) • Jennifer (3: jen-uh-fer)

• Beat of a word

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Syllable Timing

Syllable Timed Each syllable have the same length French, Spanish, Cantonese, Italian

Stressed Timed Each syllable has a different length Length is related to vowel length and reductions English, Russian, Portuguese

How to Add Stress

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• STRESSED • Louder • Longer

• Focus on the vowels

• Higher • There is a stressed syllable in every word

• UNSTRESSED • Softer• Shorter

• Reduce or shorten the vowels

• Lower

*Be sure to use all three to mark stress-do NOT rely only on pitch

Tips for Word Stress

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Two Syllable Words In two syllable words: FIRST syllable is stressed in NOUNS and ADJECTIVES

RECord PROduce OBject PREsent

SECOND syllable is stressed in VERBS reCORD proDUCE obJECT preSENT

Listen, Repeat, Try it! REcord; reCORD; I will record your score in the official record. PROduce; proDUCE; The grocery store produces a profit from produce sales. OBject; obJECT; The lawyer will object to that object as evidence. PREsent; preSENT; My father will present the present at the party.

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Two Word Combinations • FIRST word is stressed

• Compound Nouns • White, house, White House • Cup, cake, Cup cake • Security, Badge, Security Badge

• SECOND word is stressed • Phrasal Verbs

• Come, back, come back • Look, out, look out • Take, out, take out

Compound Adjectives • Bright, red, bright red • Light, blue, light blue • Old, fashioned, old fashioned

TIP: Link the word combinations together into “one word”-eliminate pause between words

• Listen, Repeat, Try it! I love cupcakes.Take out your pencils. The light blue dress is pretty.

Prefix and Suffixes

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Adding a prefix or suffix changes the tempo of the word Each syllable requires a different length Suffixes may change the syllable stress pattern

Prefixes •added BEFORE a root word•generally not stressed

DeleteRetract Disarm Mistake

Suffixes •added AFTER a root word •generally not stressed•Rules

• Stress the syllable before the suffix in words ending in -ic, -sion/tion, ious • Graphic, discussion, conscious

• Stress the syllable 2 before the suffix in words ending in –cy, -ty, -phy, -gy, -al, -ise, -ate• Sanity, critical, advertise,

communicate

Prefix and Suffixes

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• Happy-unhappy-unhappily • Interest-disinterest-disinterested• Thermo-thermometer• Form, reform, reformation

• Listen, Repeat, Try it! • CommuniCAtion• ComMUNicate • ComMUNity • Her ability to communicate helped the community improve neighbor communication.

Schwa

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• Short, relaxed vowel: “uh”

• Allows a syllable to be spoken quickly

• Occurs in • An unstressed syllable in multi-syllable word (celebrate) • An unstressed function word in sentences (to the store)

• Tip: • relax your mouth• keep your tongue relaxed and in the middle of the mouth• make the sound short • listen for the sound-it can be spelled a, e, i, o, u, y

• Listen, Repeat, Try it! • Amazing • Happily • Jennifer • California • Jennifer happily agreed to go on a trip to California. She always wanted to see the

amazing scenery of Yosemite National Park.

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