Mohamed Kheider University of Biskra__Section of English__Second Year LMD__Phonetics

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Lectures 7 :

1. Stress-carrying suffixes: the suffixes which attract the primary stress placement to

the final syllable, they are also called stress-attracting suffixes, the most common ones are:

Rule-1: English words ending in -ade, -aire, -ain, ee, eer, ese, ette, esque, ique, oo, oon;

the stress will be on the last/final syllable –ULT STRESS- so the stress falls on the suffix.

Suffixes Examples for Transcription

-ade Persuade /pəˈsweɪd/, Dissuade/dɪˈsweɪd/,

-aire Questionnaire /ˌkwestʃəˈneə/, Millionaire /mɪljəˈneə/,

-ain Japanese /ˌʤæpəˈniːz/, Journalese /ˌdʒɜːnəˈliːz/

-ee Coffee /ˈkɒfi/, Committee /kəˈmɪti/ (council), /ˌkɒmɪˈtiː/, Absentee , Referee,

-eer Engineer/ˌenʤɪˈnɪə/, Volunteer /ˌvɒlənˈtɪə/

-ese Vietnamese /ˌvɪetnəˈmiːz/ , Portuguese /ˌpɔːtjʊˈgiːz, -tʃʊ-/

-ette Silhouette /ˌsɪluˈet/, Marionette /ˌmarɪəˈnet/, Launderette /lɔːnˈdret/

-esque Romanesque/ˌrəʊməˈnesk/, Picturesque /ˌpɪktʃəˈresk/,Arabesque /ˌærəˈbesk/

-ique Critique /krɪˈtiːk/, Technique /tekˈniːk/, Unique /juːˈniːk/

-oo Kangaroo /ˌkæŋgəˈruː/, Shampoo /ʃæmˈpuː/ , Waterloo /ˌwɔːtətˈluː/

-oon Typhoon /taɪˈfuːn/ , Balloon /bəˈluːn/,

Exceptions: Igloo /ˈɪgluː/, Cuckoo /ˈkʊkuː/, Decade /ˈdekeɪd/, Comrade /ˈkɒmreɪd/.

2. Stress-shifting suffixes: the affixation of the suffix causes a change of the primary

stress from one syllable of the stem to another one, but the stress remains in the stem, it often

moves immediately to the syllable before the suffix. So the stress falls on one of the stem

syllables before the suffix added to the stem.

2.1. Stress-shifting suffixes causing PENULT STRESS:

Rule-2: English words ending in –ic, –sion, and –tion; the stress will be on the second

syllable from the end –PENULT STRESS– so on the syllable just before the suffix.

Suffix-ending Examples for Transcription

–ic Athletic /æθˈletɪk/, Economic /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/ , Graphic/ˈgræfɪk/, Geographic

/ˌʤiəˈgæfɪk/, Philosophic/ˌfɪləˈsɒfɪk/, Psychologic /ˌsaɪkəˈlɒʤɪk/, Specific

/spəˈsɪfɪk/, Scientific /saɪənˈtɪfɪk/, Syntactic /sɪnˈtæktɪk/, Semiotics

/ˌsemiˈɒtɪks/ , Theoretic /θɪəˈretɪk/, Linguistics /lɪŋˈgwɪstɪks/, Semantics

/sɪˈmæntɪks/, Phonetics /fəˈnetɪks/,

–sion Television / telɪˈvɪʒn/, Revision /rɪˈvɪʒn/, Elision /ɪˈlɪʒn/, Erosion / ɪˈrəʊʒn/

–tion Relation /rɪˈleɪʃən/, Association /əˌsəʊsɪˈeɪʃn/, participation /pɑːˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃn/

Most common exceptions: Arabic/ˈærəbɪk/, Arithmetic/əˈrɪθmətɪk/, Arsenic/ˈɑːsənɪk/, Heretic

/ˈherɪtɪk/, Catholic /ˈkæθəlɪk/, Lunatic /ˈluːnətɪk/, Politic/ˈpɒlɪtɪk/, Rhetoric /ˈretərɪk/.

STRESS PLACEMENT IN COMPLEX WORDS

Stress-Carrying Suffixes & Stress-Shifting Suffixes

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Time for practice:

Exercise 1: Transcribe the following words (stress-carrying suffixes) and marks the stress

Examples Transcription Examples Transcription Limonade

Canonnade

……………………

……………………

Barricade

Cascade

………………………..

………………………..

Millionnaire …………………… Questionnaire ………………………..

Refugee

Detainee

Devotee

……………………

……………………

……………………

Trainee

Employee

Interviewee

………………………..

……………………….

……………………….

Velveteen

Careen

……………………

……………………

Seventeen

Halloween

………………………

………………………

Mountaineer …………………… Pioneer ………………………

Journalese …………………… Japanese ………………………

Grotesque …………………… Evacuee ………………………

Tattoo …………………… Taboo ………………………

Cigarette …………………… Cassette ………………………

Antique …………………… Boutique ………………………

Cartoon …………………… Ascertain ………………………

Exercise 2: Transcribe the following words (stress-shifting suffixes) and marks the stress

Examples Transcription Examples Transcription

Problematic

Gigantic

Electric

…………………….

…………………….

…………………….

Poetic

Magnetic

Basic

………….…………….

…………….………….

……………….……….

Occasion ……………….…… Illusion ……………………….

Communication

Fiction

……………….……

……………….……

Publication

Civilisation

……………………….

…………….…….……

Further practice

Performance Exercise: