Suffix Based Patterns for Syllable Stress in Spoken English

As I’ve discussed in my last three columns, using the wrong syllable stress patterns when you speak English creates an accent that is very difficult for native speakers to understand.

I find that although many people understand this concept, they don’t know always know which syllable to stress. Here are some patterns you can use to determine stress placement.

One type of pattern that we use to predict which syllables receive stress are suffix-based patterns. The stressed syllables in each word are bolded. (more…)

This week a PhD candidate in linguistics from the University of Malaya wrote and asked me to explain how American English speakers  apply syllable stress in compound words. This is an excellent question that comes up frequently. Here is my answer.

The syllable stress patterns for compound words vary. Here are some of the common patterns that we use. (more…)