Transcript of stressed words

Free ESL at Cincinnati State!
4.30.12

Stress-Timed or Syllable-Timed?
 What is a syllable?
 Sy-lla-ble = 3 syllables
 Or-ange = 2 syllables
 Foot = 1 syllable
 What is stress?
 I don’t know what stress is, Rebecca!
Stress-Timed vs. Syllable-Timed
Languages!
Stress-Timed Language
Syllable-Timed Languages
English
Finnish
German
Icelandic
Mandarin Chinese
Cantonese Chinese
Swedish
French
Norwegian
Dutch
…and many more!
Italian
Spanish
…and many more!
Discuss:
Is YOUR native language, or 2nd or 3rd language, stress-timed or
syllable-timed? Does this explain for any difficulties you have with
intonation/word stress in English??
Do you remember: True or False?
 The MORE syllables in a sentence, the MORE time you need to
pronounce the sentence. (In English.)
 Explain your answer!
False! It depends on the number of
“stressed words”!
1. Dogs chase cats.
2. The dogs chase cats.
3. The dogs chase the cats.
4. The dogs will chase the cats.
5. The dogs will be chasing the cats.
6.  If the number (#) of stressed words is the same, you need
approximately the same amount of time!
Remember!
 English is a stress-timed language, NOT a syllable-timed
language!
 If you can remember that English is stress-timed, then English
will not be so stressful for you. Ha, ha!
vs.
Not all of the words are stressed!
 Do you know how we classify/divide words in sentences in
English?
 CONTENT words (stressed)
 Function / structure words (unstressed)
 Let’s check out this website!
Rules for Sentence Stress in English
 The basic rules of sentence stress are:
 CONTENT words are STRESSED!
 Function / structure words are unstressed.
 The time between stressed words is always the same…
Content Words (STRESSED!)
Words used for MEANING
Example
Main verbs
Sell, give, employ, decorate, buy,
borrow, study, work…
Nouns
Education, employment, shower,
embarrassment, goal, dream,
grammar…
Adjectives
Beautiful, crazy, frustrating, interesting,
blue, sorrowful, excited, hard-working…
Adverbs
Well, poorly, quickly, loudly, skillfully,
never, always, sometimes…
Negative auxiliary verbs
Don’t, aren’t, can’t, won’t, wouldn’t…
Function/ Structure Words (unstressed)
Words used for GRAMMAR
Example
Pronouns
He, we, they, I, you, she, he, it,
we…
Prepositions
On, at, into, in, around, across,
under…
Articles
A, an, the
Conjunctions
And, but, or, because…
Auxiliary (helping) verbs
Am, are, is, have, has, can,
could, must, should…
An Exception to the Rule!
 Sometimes we can stress a word that would normally be only a
structure word, for example, to correct someone’s
understanding.
“She speaks Spanish, doesn’t she?" "No, she doesn’t, but SHE
does.”
Vocabulary Drill!
1. Syllable: ________
C. Don’t, can’t, shouldn’t, etc.
2. Stress / intonation: ________
D. One or more pieces of sound in a word
3. Grammar: ________
E. The system of rules to organize meaning
4. Content: ________
5. Polyglot : ________
6. Auxiliary / helping verb: ________
in a language
F. He, she, it, we, they, you, etc.
G. The main ideas (of a speech/text/etc.)
H. Somebody who speaks multiple
languages
7. Articles: ________
8. Pronouns: ________
I.
Emphasis to show importance in
syllables, words and sentences
9. Nouns: ________
J.
Can, will, am, is, are, should, have, has…
10. Negative auxiliaries: ________
A. The, a, an
Ranking Items
 What does it mean, to rank something?
Ex. My favorite kinds of music:
1. Bollywood
2. Ambient
3. World Fusion
4. African…
An Example
CNBC Highest Paying Jobs 2011
9. Marketing Manager: $122,720
Listed with average annual salary:
10. Financial Manager: $116,970
1. Doctors and Surgeons: $165,720-$225,390
11. Airline pilot, copilot and flight engineer:
$115,300
2. Chief Executive Officer (CEO): $173,350
3. Dentists: $158,770
12. Sales Manager: $114,110
4. Lawyers: $129,440
13. Industrial-Organizational Psychologist:
$114,040
5. Natural Sciences Manager: $129,320
14. General and Operations Manager: $113,100
6. Petroleum Engineer: $127,970
15. Physicist: $112,020
7. Architectural Engineering Manager: $125,900
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.) Read
more:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_highes
t_paying_jobs#ixzz1tYd62EsY
8. Computer and Information Systems Manager:
$123,280
These Items are Ranked Incorrectly!
How do you think these cities are RANKED according to average
hourly wage? Why?? Discuss and make lists in your groups!
Boston, Massachusetts
Seattle, Washington
New York, NY (Metropolitan)
San Jose, California
Chicago, Illinois
Washington, D.C.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Dallas, Texas
Cincinnati, Ohio
These Items are Ranked Incorrectly!
City
Average Hourly Wage
Ranking
Boston, Massachusetts
$28.56
3
Seattle, Washington
$26.45
5
New York, NY (Metropolitan)
$27.49
4
San Jose, California
$32.62
1
Chicago, Illinois
$23.62
6
Washington, D.C.
$29.95
2
Honolulu, Hawaii
$21.68
8
Dallas, Texas
$21.89
7
Cincinnati, Ohio
$20.50
9
What is a paragraph?
 A paragraph is a short piece of
writing that includes one (or
maybe two or three) main ideas.
A paragraph includes 5-7
complete sentences!
 After writing a paragraph, always
check your paragraph for
mistakes (spelling, grammar,
punctuation, etc.)
3 paragraphs
What is a complete sentence?
Verb!
 This is a complete sentence.
Subject!
 A complete sentence includes at least 1+ subject (noun,
pronoun) and at least 1+ verb!
Complete Sentences?
Incomplete (Fragment)
Aomar from Algeria.
Is from Afghanistan.
Adriana clubbing on the weekends.
Monika an iPad.
Katka from Czech Republic.
Our teacher, Rebecca, from Cincinnati.
Sothea a customer service job.
Is from Senegal.
Is an incomplete sentence!
Complete!
What is a paragraph?
 A paragraph is a short piece of
writing that includes one (or
maybe two or three) main ideas.
A paragraph includes 5-7
complete sentences!
 The first sentence (topic
sentence) usually introduces
your main idea.
 After writing a paragraph, always
check your paragraph for
mistakes (spelling, grammar,
punctuation, etc.)
3 paragraphs
Writing a Paragraph
 Write a paragraph in which you explain:
1) whether/if your native language is stress-timed or syllabletimed.
2) any problems you have with intonation/word stress in English!
Give an example (or more than one example)!
Also, ask any questions you may have about English
intonation/word stress.
Example Paragraph
My name is Abdoulaye. I am from Mauritania. I speak five
languages, but in this paragraph I will write about my fourth language,
French. French is a stress-timed language. English is also a stress-timed
language. This is good news for me. Unfortunately, I often cannot
understand which syllables are stressed in English words. For example,
when I read a new word like “mania,” I do not know which syllable to
stress when I pronounce the word. I need to practice speaking my English
with Native Speakers of English who can help me with my pronunciation.
One question I have is, are there any rules for the pronunciation of
English words?
Pronunciation Rules  To Be Continued!
Type of Word
Pattern
Examples
Most 2-syllable nouns
Stress on FIRST syllable
CONtext, PAper, Visa
Most 2-syllable verbs
Stress on SECOND syllable
apPLY, creATE, reLAX
Most 3-syllable words
ending in: -ATE, -IZE, -ISE
Stress on FIRST syllable
FANtasize, EXercise, REalize,
MODernize, CElebrate
Most 4-5 syllable words
ending in –ATE or -OUS
Stress on the SECOND
syllable
conTINuous, eNORmous,
apPREciate, exTERminate
Words that end in suffixes
such as –ic, -ical, -ual, -tion,
-ity, -ogy, -ian, -tal
Stress on the syllable
BEFORE the suffix
aniMAtion, creAtion,
phySIcian, maGIcian,
MUsical
Words that end in suffixes
such as –eer and -ee
Stress on the FINAL syllable
engiNEER, pioNEER,
guaranTEE, forSEE
Practice!
 In groups, add more examples to each category. Practice your
pronunciation aloud, and think about STRESS!
Do reasons for learning English vary
(change) according to country?
 Do all people have the same reasons for learning English (the
same language learning goals)?
 What do you think?
This speaker is discussing WHY so many
people want to learn English!
 English Mania!
 What is mania???

= Mania?!
What do you think?!
In your groups, discuss:
Do you agree with the speaker’s ideas? Do you think his
description of “English mania” is accurate or true? Why or why
not?
Do you think that every country has a different need for English?
Do you think that “English mania” is a good thing for the world?
Why or why not?
What happens when languages disappear and nobody speaks
them anymore??
Complete this table on PAPER
and give it to me before you leave!
What do I know
about…?
Content and
function/structure
words
Complete
Sentences
Paragraphs
Pronunciation
Rules
What did I learn
What do I still
from this class /
want to learn
last class about…? about…?
Butterfly Show at the Krohn Conservatory
 http://www.butterflyshow.com/
Also, remember about the Free ESL Conversation Group on Mondays
and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in ATLC 102!
Check your email!
 Today, I emailed everybody a list of
language learning websites to help
you with writing, reading, listening
and speaking in English!
 I will email you this PPT as well!
Have a wonderful week and weekend!
 Homework:
Pay attention to the intonation patterns of Native Speakers (NS)
of English!
etc.
Which words did you notice?
 Optional:
If you would like to write down your observations/thoughts about
these intonation patterns, I would be happy to give you feedback
on your writing.