The accentual structure of English words

'seasick, 'hen-pecked, 'ladylike, and those with final stress: deep-'seated, rent-'free, skin-'deep, sky-'blue.

Sometimes the same sequence of words can make a phrase or a compound. Here

the late or early stress distinguishes them:

Compounds = EARLY STRESS Phrases = LATE STRESS

a 'darkroom = a room for developing photographs

a ,dark 'room = a room which is dark

because there is little light in it

a 'moving van = to carry furniture when one moves house

a ,moving 'van = a van that is in motion

a blackbird = a kind of bird: Turdus merula

a ,black 'bird = any bird that is black

an 'English teacher = a teacher of English

an ,English 'teacher = a teacher who is English

The stress patterns of some English words are liable to variations of different kinds.

There is free variation of stress location due to some rhythmic and analogical pressures, both of which entail in addition considerable changes of sound pattern in words [Gimson 1001:231], e.g.

1) in some words of three syllables, there is variation between '- - - and -'- - patterns: deficit, integral (adj), exquisite.

2) similarly, in words of four syllables, there is variation between first and second syllable stressing: hospitable, formidable, despicable.

Pronunciation patterns of such words due to the variation in stress placement have the status of alternative pronunciation forms which occur in educated usage.

Cases of variable stress placement caused by the context is known as ‘stressshift' [EPD 1997: xii]. When a word of several syllables has a stress near the end of the word, and is followed by another word with stress near its beginning, there is a tendency or the stress in the first word to move nearer the beginning if it contains a syllable that

is capable of receiving stress, e.g. the word academic in isolation usually has the stress on he penultimate syllable [-dem-]. However, when the word year follows, the stress is often found to move to the first syllable [æk-]; the whole phrase 'academic year’ will have the primary stress on the word year, so the resulting stress pattern will be ,academic 'year. In isolation, we say fundamental and Japanese with primary stress on -ment, and -nese, in connected speech these words may have a different pattern: greater stress on fund- and Jap-.

    The three functions of word stress are the following: 
constitutive

identificatory

distinctive

First of all word stress builds up a word by making one (or more) syllables more prominent than the others, it organizes the syllables of a word into a language unit. Thus the word stress performs the constitutive function. Sound sequences become a phrase when they are divided into units organized by word stress into words. The recurrent stress pattern of the word helps the listener to recognize (identify) it in the flow of speech. Correct accentuation facilitates the process of communication and prevents misunderstanding. This function is called identificatory (or recognitive). Word stress is capable of differentiating the meaning of words or their forms, thus performing its distinctive function: ˈcontent – conˈtent; ˈinsult – inˈsult; ˈconcrete – conˈcrete.

 For many loanwords from French where AmE has final-syllable stress, BrE stresses an earlier syllable. Such words include:

BrE first-syllable stress: adultA2,B2, balletA2, baton, beret, bidet, blasé, brevetA2, brochureB2, buffet, caféA2, canardB2, chagrin, chaletA2, chauffeurA2,B2, chiffon, clichéB2, coupé, croissant, debrisB2, debut, décor, detailA2, détenteB2, flambé, frappé, garageB2,gateau, gourmetA2, lamé, montageA2, parquet, pastel, pastille, pâté, précis, sachet, salon, soupçon, vaccine; matinée, négligée, nonchalant, nondescript; also some French names, including BernardB2, Calais, Degas, Dijon, Dumas, Francoise, ManetA2, Maurice,MonetA2, Pauline, Renault, RenéB2, Renoir, Rimbaud, DelacroixB2.

BrE second-syllable stress: attaché, consommé, décolleté, déclassé, De Beauvoir, Debussy, démodé, denouement, distingué, Dubonnet, escargot, exposé, fiancé(e)A2, retroussé

A few French words have other stress differences:

AmE first-syllable, BrE last-syllable: addressA2 (postal), moustacheA2; cigaretteA2, limousineB2, magazineB2,

AmE first-syllable, BrE second-syllable: liaisonA2, macramé, Renaissance (AmE also final-syllable stress)

AmE second-syllable, BrE last-syllable: New OrleansA2

Most 2-syllable verbs ending -ate have first-syllable stress in AmE and second-syllable stress in BrE. This includes castrate, dictateA2, donateA2, locateA2, mandateB2, migrate, placate, prostrate, pulsate, rotate, serrateA2,B2, spectate, striated, translateA2, vacate,vibrate; in the case of cremate, narrate, placate, the first vowel is in addition reduced to /ə/ or /ɨ/ in BrE. Examples where AmE and BrE match include create, debate, equate, elate, negate, orate, relate with second-syllable stress (though in American usage, orateoccasionally attracts first-syllable stress); and mandate and probate with first-syllable stress. Derived nouns in -ator may retain the distinction, but those in -ation do not. Also, migratoryA2 and vibratory retain the distinction.

Most longer -ate verbs are pronounced the same in AmE and BrE, but a few have first-syllable stress in BrE and second-syllable stress in AmE: elongate, infiltrateA2, remonstrateA2, tergiversate. However, some derived adjectives ending -atory have a difference, as stress shifting to -at- can occur in BrE with the final vowel sound being omitted, in this case, the 'o'. Among these cases are regulatoryB2 /ˌrɛɡ.jʊˈleɪ.tər.i/, celebratoryA2 /ˌsɛl.ɨˈbreɪ.tər.i/, participatoryB2 /pɑːˌtɪ.sɨˈpeɪ.tər.i/, where AmE stresses the same syllable as the corresponding -ate verb; and compensatory /kəmˈpɛnsəˌtɔːri/, where AmE stresses the second syllable.

A further -atory difference is laboratory: AmE /ˈlæbrəˌtɔːri/ and BrE /ləˈbɒrətri/.

Miscellaneous stress

There are a number of cases where same-spelled noun, verb and/or adjective have uniform stress in one dialect but distinct stress in the other (e.g. alternate, prospect): see initial-stress-derived noun.

The following table lists words where the only difference between AmE and BrE is in stress (possibly with a consequent reduction of the unstressed vowel). Words with other points of difference are listed in a later table.

BrE	AmE	words with relevant syllable stressed in each dialect
1st	2nd	caffeine, cannotA2, casein, Kathleen, SuezA2, communal, escalopeA2,B2, harassA2, omega, paprikaA2,B2, patina, formidableB2， subaltern, stalactite, stalagmite, ThanksgivingA2,B2, transference, aristocratA2,B2, kilometre/kilometerB2
2nd	1st	defence/defense (sport), guffawA2, ice creamA2,B2, guru, mama, papa, pretence/pretenseA2, princessA2,B2, weekendB2, Canton, anginaA2, AugustineA2, BushidoA2, Ghanaian, LofotenB2, marshmallow, patronal, spread-eagle, controversyB2, hospitableA2,B2, miscellany, predicative, saxophonistB2, submarinerA2, ancillary, capillary, catenary, corollary, fritillary, medullary, advertisement
1st	3rd	premature, opportune
3rd	1st	margarine, PyreneesB2, cockatoo
3rd	2nd	arytenoidA2, oregano, obscurantistA2