Stress shifts in word formation

© 2001, Kent Lee
Stress shifts in word formation
1. Strong (non-neutral) suffixes.
Creating new words by adding certain suffixes can cause the main word stress to shift rightward.
These suffixes are called strong suffixes (or non-neutral, or Class 1). The main word stress is marked
with an acute accent [ ! ], and when necessary, secondary stresses are marked with a grave accent [ ` ].
The stress shifts will occur with the addition of the strong suffix if the word is long enough, and if the
stress is far back enough on the base.
suffix
base
derived word
-al
pólitics
polítical
(ADJ)
-ic
álcohol
alcohólic
-ify
ácid
acídify
-ity
nórmal
normálity
-ous
ánalogue
análagous
-ual
cóntext
contéxtual
-y
ánalogue
análogy
(noun)
If the main stress is already close enough to the end of the word, then addition of a strong suffix will
not cause the stress to shift any farther:

polémic
polémical
A few strong suffixes and prefixes may bear a secondary stress. The verbal suffix -ate bears a
secondary stress (as opposed to the unstressed adjectival -ate suffix – see below). The prefix auto- bears
main stress when it means “automatic”, and the Latin suffix -esce (‘to become’) bears main stress,
downgrading the other stress to a secondary stress. Finally, many French suffixes bear main stress. Some
Greek prefixes can take primary stress in hard-to-predict ways, especially in scientific terms.
-àte
hýdrogen
h drógenàte
(verb)
auto- mobile
automobile
-esce
phósphor
phòsphorésce
French suffixes:
-ade
cascáde, façáde
-e, ee
fiancé, fiancée; sauté; employée
-ese
Chìnése
-esque
burlésque
-ette
dinétte
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-eur
entreprenéur
-ier
cavalíer
-oon
buffóon
-esque, eque
picturésque, discotéque
-que
communiqué
Greek prefixes
nánometer, télephone, parámeter
Many Latin prefixes may be unstressed, or contain a long vowel that has a secondary stress. Only
in very short words, with only short syllables following the prefix, would the prefix take on main stress.
Latin prefixes
ad-, co-, con-, de-, dis-, e-, en-, ex-, in-, mid-, ob-, pre-, re-, se-, sub
adjóin, ádjunct, dèfér, disdáin, préjudice, rèimbúrse
2. i-vowel suffixes.
Many words contain suffixes beginning with -i-, especially in combination with other suffixes, like -i-
ous, ion, i-an, etc. In these cases, the main word stress shifts to the syllable immediately preceding the
i-vowel suffix. Sometimes the stressed vowel before the i-vowel suffix may be shortened. Hyphenated
form by themselves (like ‘al-‘) indicate a Latin/Greek word root, prefix, or suffix that does not exist as
a word by itself.
-ian
statístic
statistícian
-iana
Índian
Indiána
-ial
fin-
fínial
space
spátial
-iant, -iance, -iancy
lúxury
luxúriance
-iate
de- + fol-
defóliate
-iary
bénefit
benefíciary
-ien
al-
álien
-ient, -ience, -iency
de+fic-
dèfícient, dèfícience, dèfíciency
-ion
Américanìze
Americanizátion
deríde
derísion
cohére
cohésion
-ious
cop-
cópious
lúxury
luxúrious
-ium, -ion, -ia (plural)
crit-
critérion, critéria
bactérium, bactéria
The stressed vowel in the preceding syllable is always stressed, and tends to be long if the base ends
in a single consonant (VC), except for the short í=[I]; if it is followed by two consonants (VCC), it is
short.
IVS = i-vowel suffix, V = vowel, C = consonant
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V!C + IVS !
"!C
á = [eI / ey / !I]
spátial
é=[i:]
secrétion
ó=["u]
locomótion
ú=[u:]
electrocútion
i!C + IVS !
!C
í = [I]
partítion
V!CC + IVS !
#!CC
á = [æ]
contráction
é = [!]
detéction
í = [I]
jurisdíction
ó = [a: ~ "]
concóction
ú = [U]
condúction
The i-vowel suffixes can cause a change in the pronunciation of certain final consonant of the root
(base) word. These consonants are usually {t, d, s}, and change to {$, %, &}.
-t-
= $
as in
-tion
resignátion
-tian
Mártian
-tial
pártial
-tient
pátient
-tiate
inítiate
-tious
fictítious
-Ct- =

%
as in
-tion
depíction, deténtion
-tian
reáction
-tial
experiéntial
-tient
séntient
certain consonants + -
-tiate
poténtiate
t-, e.g., -ct-, -nt-
-tious
conténtious
-c-
= $
as in
-cian
mortícian
-cial
fináncial
-cier
glácier
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-s-
= &
as in
-ian
Eurásian
-ial
ambrósial
-sion
derísion
-Cs-
= $
as in
-ion
ascénsion
Also, e-vowel suffixes usually display similar stress and pronunciation patterns as the i-vowel suffixes:
spontáneous, advantágeous, carbonáceous, crustácean
3. Neutral suffixes.
Neutral suffixes do not affect the main word stress, and don’t cause the stress to shift when they are
added. These include the grammatical (“weak”) endings. Most word-building suffixes in English are
neutral suffixes.
grammatical suffixes
-ed
defíbrolàte
defíbrolàted
-ing
réify
réifying
-s, -es, -’s, -s’
bátch
bátches
-er
prétty
préttier
(ADJ)
-est
píthy
píthiest
(ADJ)
word-building suffixes
-able
acknówledge
aknówledgeable
-age
cóver
cóverage
-al
pórt
pórtal
(NOUN)
-ary
vísion
vísionary
-!te
afféction
afféctionate
(NOUN/ADJ)

-er, -or
óperate
óperator
(NOUN)
-ful
wónder
wónderful
-hood
chíld
chíldhood
-ible
corróde
corródible
-ice
pre+jud-
préjudice
-ile, ìle
dúct
dúctìle
-ish
coquétte
coquéttish
-ism
fúnctional
fúnctionalism
-ist
génerative
génerativist
-ize
rátional
rátionalist
-less
agénda
agéndaless
-ly
abtrúse
abtrúsely
-ment
acknówledge
acknówledgement
-most
ínner
ínnermost
-oid
plásma
plásmoid
-ship
assístant
assístantship
-some
bóther
bóthersome
-th
thírty
thírtieth
(numeral)
-ward
héaven
héavenward
-wise
contráry
contráriwise
-y
chéese
chéesy
(ADJ)
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4. Locating stress.
Below are a few guidelines for locating stress. These principles mainly work for longer words and
words formed with prefixes and/or suffixes.
" Identify prefixes with special stress patterns, and assign stresses accordingly.
i-vowel suffixes
fictítious
e-vowel suffixes
extemporáneous
French suffixes
picturésque
some Greek prefixes
télescope, pícosecond
-ésce
luminésce
secondary stress prefixes & suffixes
illuminàte
# Identify neutral suffixes and strike them out. Write a “0” above them, because they will not count
in determining stress.
0
0
0


0
0
0
wonderful, acknowledgement, plasmoid, assistantship, incorrigible, retooling
$ Count the syllables, starting from the end of the word and counting backwards. All neutral suffixes
are marked “0". After any neutral suffixes, label syllables as “-1”, “-2”, “-3”, from right to left,
whether they are strong suffixes or part of the word root.

-3 -2 -1
0
-3 -2
-1
0
-3 -2 -1
politically
assistantship
normality
% Evaluate the syllable length of syllables -1 and -2. But for most longer nouns (3 or more syllables)
with no neutral endings like normality above, then evaluate the syllables (-3, -2). The syllables (-1,
-2) or (-2, -3) comprise the stressable key. A syllable is long if it consists of a long vowel (V:), a
double vowel (VV), a vowel and two or more consonants (VCC). A syllable is short if it contains
a short vowel (V) or a vowel + consonant (VC).
V:
[ey, i:, "u, u:]
= long
abatement

VV
au, ea, oi, etc.
= long
encounter

VCC
= long
enactment
V
[æ, !, I, U]

= short
leviathan
VC
= short
annihilate

-3 -2 -1
0
-3 -2
-1
0
-3 -2 -1
politically
assistantship
normality
S
S
L
L
S S
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& Of the -1 and -2 syllables (or (-2, -3) with some nouns), assign primary stress to the long syllable.
If both syllables are short, or both are long, then stress the first syllable of the pair.
polítically assístantship
normálity
levíathan
' Assign secondary stress to other longer vowels (even in shorter words).
píàno
pòlémical
( For very long words, label the first two syllables of the word as “+1, +2", and evaluate the first
two syllables for secondary stress. Assign secondary stress to the longer of the two syllables; if
both are long, stress the first (“+1”).
1 2
1 2
1 2
L L
L S
L L
rìbonucléic
sèsquecenténnial
càrbonáceous
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