EDL 2203

PHONOLOGY for ELT

SENTENCE STRESS/
PROSODIC STRESS
Stress group and sense group
 What is sentence stress?
Sentence stress is accent on certain
words within a sentence.
 Sentence Stress
English is a stress-timed language
Music of spoken English.
Help you to understand spoken English,
especially when spoken fast.
Gives English its rhythm or "beat"
 INTRODUCTION
Sentence stress is a difficult area to work on for
learners and teachers alike.

For this reason it's also an area which is often

neglected, but this aspect of the language can
cause problems for learners in both their
speaking and perhaps more importantly
listening.
 INTRODUCTION
Some comments on why listening is difficult in English:-

"The words come too fast"

"I panic when I don't understand every word"
"Some words are swallowed"

What the students are referring to here, amongst other

things, is the stress-timed aspect of English.
 THE IMPORTANCE OF SENTENCE
STRESS
Not using stress-time can also make students
sound laboured when they speak and can cause
irritation on the part of the listener.
1. STRESS GROUPS
2. SENSE GROUPS
STRESS GROUP
Most sentences have two types of word:

content words
structure words
 Content Word
Content words are the key words of a
sentence.
They are the important words that carry the
meaning or sense.
If you remove the content words from a
sentence, you will not understand the
sentence. The sentence has no sense or
meaning.
 Structure Word
Not very important words.
They are small, simple words that make the
sentence correct grammatically.
They give the sentence its correct form or
"structure".
If you remove the structure words from a
sentence, you will probably still understand the
sentence.
 EXAMPLE 1
Imagine that you receive this telegram
message:

SELL CAR GONE FRANCE

What does it mean?

 CONTENT WORD
This sentence is not complete.
It is not a "grammatically correct" sentence.
But you probably understand it.
Somebody wants you to sell their car for them because
they have gone to France.
The 4 key words (sell, car, gone, France) are
accentuated or stressed.
Those words are CONTENT WORDS
 STRUCTURE WORD
Will you SELL my CAR because I've GONE to
FRANCE

The new words do not really add any more information.

But they make the message more correct grammatically.
We can add even more words to make one complete,
grammatically correct sentence.
But the information is basically the same.
Those are STRUCTURE WORD
 KNOWING SENTENCE STRESS
It changes the speed at which we speak (and listen to) the
language. The time between each stressed word is the same.

In our sentence, there is 1 syllable between SELL and CAR and 3

syllables between CAR and GONE. But the time (t) between SELL
and CAR and between CAR and GONE is the same. We maintain a
constant beat on the stressed words. To do this, we say "my" more
slowly, and "because I've" more quickly. We change the speed of
the small structure words so that the rhythm of the key content
words stays the same
 EXAMPLE 2
I am a proFESsional phoTOgrapher
whose MAIN INterest is to TAKE SPEcial,
BLACK and WHITE PHOtographs that
exHIBit ABstract MEANings in their
photoGRAPHic STRUCture.
RULES FOR SENTENCE
STRESS
The basic rules of sentence stress are:

1.content words are stressed

2.structure words are unstressed
3.the time between stressed words is always
the same
 CONTENT WORD
Content words - stressed
Words carrying the meaning Example
main verbs SELL, GIVE, EMPLOY
nouns CAR, MUSIC, MARY
adjectives RED, BIG, INTERESTING
adverbs QUICKLY, LOUDLY, NEVER
negative auxiliaries DON'T, AREN'T, CAN'T
 STRUCTURE WORD
Structure words - unstressed
Words for correct grammar Example
pronouns he, we, they
prepositions on, at, into
articles a, an, the
conjunctions and, but, because
auxiliary verbs do, be, have, can, mustExceptions
 EXCEPTIONS
The above rules are for what is called "neutral" or normal stress.
But sometimes we can stress a word that would normally be only a
structure word, for example to correct information. Look at the
following dialogue:

"They've been to Mongolia, haven't they?"

"No, THEY haven't, but WE have.

Note also that when "be" is used as a main verb, it is usually

unstressed (even though in this case it is a content word).
SENSE GROUPS
 SENSE GROUP
Often used pragmatically to emphasize (focus attention
on) particular words or the ideas associated with them.

Inadequate or improper sense stress can result in an

obscure meaning of the information you present. The
ability to persuade or motivate is severely hampered.
Even worse, you may lose the audience when their
thoughts go else where.
 SENSE GROUP
Ways to add proper sense stress
1) greater volume
2) greater intensity or feeling
3) stronger inflection
4) increase pitch (unless this is a typical weakness you are
known for)
5) lower the tone
6) slow down the pace
 SENSE GROUP
Where to Use Sense Stress
As always, it comes back to the audience.
What is your purpose?
What do you hope to accomplish with the audience?
What do you want them to walk away form the lecture
with?
What motivation or persuasion do you hope to effect?
 Example 1

I didn't take the test yesterday. (Somebody else did.)

I didn't take the test yesterday. (I did not take it.)
I didn't take the test yesterday. (I did something else with it.)
I didn't take the test yesterday. (I took a different one.)
I didn't take the test yesterday. (I took something else.)
I didn't take the test yesterday. (I took it some other day.)
 Example 2

I didnt say you stole the candy bar.

I didnt say you stole the candy bar.
I didnt say you stole the candy bar.
I didnt say you stole the candy bar.
I didnt say you stole the candy bar.
I didnt say you stole the candy bar.
I didnt say you stole the candy bar.
I didnt say you stole the candy bar.
SUGGESTION ON HOW TO
TEACH SENTENCE STRESS
 ACTIVITY 1
Stress timing is most There was a young lady from Niger,
noticeable in patterned Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.
language such as poetry and After the ride
limericks. She was inside,
And the smile on the face of the tiger.

Here is an example of There once was a lady named Lynn

limericks. Who was so uncommonly thin,
that when she essayed
to drink lemonade,
she slipped through the straw and fell in
 31
Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com