CALL-CMRIT

The following are some stress rules. Go to Cambridge Pronouncing Dictionary , look up these words, and observe which syllables are stressed. Rule 1: Verbs of two syllables ending in  -ate  and  -ct  usually take the stress on the ultimate (last) syllable. /nəˈreɪt/ ‘narrate’ /ləʊˈkeɪt/ ‘locate’ /maɪˈɡreɪt/ ‘migrate’ /vaɪˈbreɪt/ ‘vibrate’ /dɪˈbeɪt/ ‘debate’ /kənˈtækt/ ‘contact’ /əˈtrækt/ ‘attract’ /kəˈnekt/ ‘connect’ /dɪˈpɪkt/ ‘depict’ /ɪnˈfekt/ ‘infect’ Rule 2: Words ending in  -ion  have the primary stress on the penultimate syllable. /ˈkwes.tʃən/ ‘question’ /ɪˌmædʒ.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ ‘imagination’ /ˌɪn.dɪˈdʒes.tʃən/ ‘indigestion’ /ˌɪn.trəˈdʌk.ʃən/ ‘introduction’ /səˈdʒes.tʃən/ ‘suggestion’ Rule 3: Words ending in  -ic and -ian  are stressed on the penultimate syllable. /ɪˈlek.trɪk/ ‘electric’ /ˌsaɪ.ənˈtɪf.ɪk/ ‘scientific’ /ɑːˈtɪs.tɪk/ ‘artistic’ /ˌpeɪ.trɪˈɒt.ɪk/ ‘patriotic’ /ˌnæʃ.ən.əˈlɪs.tɪk/ ‘nationalistic’ /ɪˌlekˈtrɪʃ.ən...

  HOW ARE WORDS SYLLABIFIED? To syllabify a word, you need to understand the phonotactic constraints of English. The term “phonotactic constraints” refers to the “restrictions on the sequence of sounds that can occur in a given position in a syllable.” (Philip Carr, A Glossary of Phonology ) These are the most important phonotactic constraints in English: No word in English can end with the following vowels: /e, æ, ʌ, ɒ/. Therefore, you cannot end a syllable with any of these vowels. For example, the word “bottle” is transcribed and syllabified in this way: /ˈbɒt.əl/. These four vowels always need a coda. The vowels /ɪ/ and /ʊ/ can never occur in the final position of a syllable if the syllable is stressed. For example, the word “sister” is transcribed and syllabified in this manner: /ˈsɪs.tə/. Here, the sound /ɪ/ occurs in a stressed syllable. Therefore, it needs a coda. On the other hand, the word “oxygen” is transcribed and syllabified like this: /ˈɒk.sɪ.dʒən/. Since the vowel /...