English Phonology, Phonotactics, and Suprasegmentals

Exercise 3.3: Word Stress

1. Using acute and grave accents, mark primary and secondary stress (where present) in the following
words.
(a)

papyrus

(i)

pedigree

(q)

vigilante

(b)

feminine

(j)

hypotenuse

(r)

peripheral

(c)

millionaire

(k)

summary

(s)

macaroni

(d)

harmonica

(l)

memorandum

(t)

imperialism

(e)

pelican

(m)

architecture

(u)

satellite

(f)

geometry

(n)

discipline

(v)

characterize

(g)

vocabulary

(o)

caterpillar

(w)

chromosome

(h)

compliment

(p)

penetration

(x)

accidental

2. Transcribe the following sets of words and mark primary and secondary stress with Super- and
subticks. Note the reduction of vowels in unstressed syllables.
(a)

Catastrophe /ktstrfi/
Catastrophic /ktstrfk/

(b)

Synonym /snnm/
Synonymous /snnms/

(c)

Repeat /rpit/
Repetitive /rpettv/
Repetition /reptn/
How does stress affect the quality of the first t in repetitive and repetition?
How does stress affect the quality of the p?

(d)

Migrate /maret/
Migratory /mrtri/
Migration /m ren/

(e)

Intellect /ntlekt/
Intellectual /ntlektul/
Intelligent /nteldnt/

(f)

Apply /pla/
Application /plken/
Applicable /plkbl/
Applicability /plkblti/

(g)

Exhibit /zbt/

Exhibition /eksbn/
How does stress affect the voicing of the consonants in exhibit and exhibition?
3. How does stress differentiate these derivationally-related words?
(a)
(b)
(c)

proverb

proverbial

reflex

reflexive

perfect

perfection

tranquil

tranquility

injure

injurious

enter

entertain

4. (a) Give strong and weak forms of that and show how they are used in a sentence.
1. That is a really bad performance
2. I would like to see that house
(b) Give two sentences in which the word afternoon has a different syllable stressed.
1. I spend the whole afternoon studying for the exam
2. Afternoon, guys !