1. Stress Placement on the Word Level

2. Ways of analysing syllables (1)
Closed syllables
(CCC) V C(CCC)
sit [sIt]
Open syllables
(CCC) V
see [si:]
swim
swim +ing 
swi  ming
*/"swaImIN/
hence:
swimming
swim +er 
swi  mer
hence:
swimmer
kit
kit +ed 
ki  ted
*/"kaItId/
hence:
kitted out
get
get +ing 
ge  ting
*/"ge  tIN/
hence:
getting
Phonetics and Phonology
© FAM

3. Ways of analysing syllables (2)
Heavy syllables
long vowel / diphthong (CCCC)
see [si:]
seize [si:z]
size [saIz]
short vowel CC(CC)
strenghts [strENkTs]
Light syllables
short vowel C
sit [sIt]
Phonetics and Phonology
© FAM

4. Ways of analysing syllables (3)
Strong syllables
Syllables with vowels that will never be reduced
all long vowels
all diphthongs
some short vowels
Weak syllables
Syllables whose peak can be
reduced
replaced with a syllabic sonorant
elided
Phonetics and Phonology
© FAM

5. The variable stress language English
Stress placement depends on
Word class (content word vs. function word)
Number of syllables
Phonological structure of syllable
Morphologically simple vs. words with affixes / compounds

6. Categorising Full Vowels
tense vowels
closed stressed syllable
open stressed syllable*
lax vowels
closed stressed syllable
syllable closed by /N/ i:
seek
see I
sick
ring A:
guard
spa E
bet
length O:
cord
raw 
bat
sang u:
cool
woo 
god
wrong eI
tail
bay V
gut
bung aI
tile
buy U
could
bung (NE) OI
toil
boy
Characteristics of
Tense vowels:
long or diphthongs
can occur in closed and open stressed syllables
Lax vowels:
short vowels
do not occur in open syllables @U
tone
bow (noun) aU
town
bow (verb)
shared
dare
weird
dear
gourd
poor
soared
door

7. Vowels and stress placement
full vowels
(can carry stress)
reduced vowels
(do not carry stress)
@ and I / 
tense vowels
(long / diphthongs)
lax vowels
(short / monophthongs)

8. Criteria for Stress Placement in English a)
ascend
@"sEnd
download*
center
envy
"EnvI
comply
Two-syllable verbs
equal
consent
happen
construct
notice
decry
d"k aI
refit*
i:"fIt
devise
d"vaIz
upset*
Vp"sEt
If the second syllable is heavy, it carries the stress.
If the second syllable is light, the first syllable carries the stress.

9. Criteria for Stress Placement in English b)
countermand
deconstruct
determine
dI"t3:mIn
Three-syllable verbs
encounter
entertain
fascinate
fsI"neit
interpret
undermine
undertake
If the last syllable is heavy, it carries the stress.
If the last syllable is heavy, it carries the stress.
If the last syllable is light, the penultimate syllable carries the stress.
If the last syllable is light, the penultimate syllable carries the stress.

10. Criteria for Stress Placement in English c)
camera
porcupine
"pOkjUpaIn
cinema
quantity
Three-syllable nouns
encounter
samosa
intellect
stalagmite
marigold
tomato
memento*
vertebrae
If the last syllable contains a short vowel and the penultimate is a light syllable, the stress is on the first syllable.
Memento is an exception (me/ment/o) analogous to ment/al
If the last syllable is heavy and the penultimate light, the stress is also on the first syllable.
If the penultimate syllable is heavy, (and the last is light) the stress is on the penultimate syllable.

11. Types of feet in Englishw s s w s w w
unbounded foot a
foot
foot - man
ca - me - ra @
fUt
fUtmn
km
unary foot
binary foot
ternary foot
English is a right-branching language.

12. Stress placement in polysyllabic words
Link every full vowel to the leftmost branch
of a foot. F F F
Link all reduced vowels
to right branch of a binary
or rightmost branch
of ternary foot
Now connect the feet
from the right to the left s s w s
 p  i: S  e I t

13. and the leftmost node “s”
Word s
If the rightmost node branches below,
then that node is marked “s”
and the left node “w” w w s F F F
if the rightmost node does not branch,
then that node is marked “w”
and the leftmost node “s” s s w s
 p  i: S  e I t

14.  p i: S  e I S @ n Application s
If the rightmost node branches below,
then that node is marked “s”
and the left node “w” w w s F F F s s w s w
 p i: S  e I n