Speak English Intelligibly and Functionally: Basics of English Suprasegmentals

1. The speech rhythm of a language consists of various patterns of alternating light and heavy stresses, short and long pauses, and low, normal and high pitches.
Examples:
a. Call him.
b. Call him today.
c. Call him today and tomorrow.
d. Let’s call him today or tomorrow.
2. To develop a rhythm for the language, you must learn to use the devices of speech which are also the indicators of rhythm, namely, 1) stress, including blending and phrasing of words and sentences, and 2) intonation.
3. Prominence given to a syllable

Examples:

obtain = tain
magazine = zine
column = col
4. Stress involves changes in 1) pitch, 2 ) force, and 3) duration. The four degrees of stress are strong, secondary, tertiary, and weak/zero.

a. Multi-syllable words have only one strong stress. They are spoken louder, longer, and clearer than the rest of the stressed syllables which are spoken lightly and quickly. Examples:

misrepresent accommodation Contemporary prevarification
superimpose authoritarian Pronunciation extemporaneous
misunderstand alliteration Temperamental socialization
b. A shift in the position of syllable stress, results in a meaning change.
Noun-verb-noun-verb-
Contract contract discount discount
Covert Covert desert desert
Process process export export
c. Number words: thirty thirtieth sixteen sixteenth
d. Derived words change unpredictably, e.g., libel-libelous, subsist-subsistence, endow-endowment. Similar with phrasal verbs, e.g., Call up Mόm or Call Mary ύp.
e. Word combination. These are the ff. suggestions:
1. The first part serving a purpose is stressed, e.g.,
sewing machine-dining room-eye glass-baking soda
2. The first part being contained or realized in the second part, the second is stressed, e.g.,

leather bag-gold watch-silk blouse-steel bar

5. Sentence stress – in breath

a. Stress = nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs, demonstratives, question words
b. Unstressed = Determiners, personal pronouns, prepositions, con