When you are speaking American English it is very important for you to use syllable stress correctly. One reason is because English has many heteronyms.
Heteronyms are two words that are spelled identically. The way the words are pronounced determines their meaning.
One good example of this is the word: ADDRESS.
When you say the word ‘address’ the way you use syllable stress changes the meaning of the word.
When you place stress is on the first syllable, address is a noun as in this sentence:
Susan’s ADdress is 2010 Pine Street.
When you place stress on the second syllable, address becomes a verb as in this sentence:
Susan will ədDRESS the class tomorrow.
Note that the reduced syllable in the verb form has a schwa (ə) vowel sound. This is the reduced vowel sound found in unstressed syllables. The vowel sounds in the stressed syllables are lengthened and pronounced with a slightly higher pitch.
Another example is the word PRESENT.
When you stress the first syllable, the word PREənt means a gift.
When you stress the second syllable preəSENT becomes a verb that means ‘to give’.
Again, note how the vowel sound in the unstressed syllable is reduced to schwa. The vowel in each stressed syllable is lengthened and pronounced with a slightly higher pitch.
To learn more about how to use syllable stress check out the great American English pronunciation book called Mastering the American Accent.
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Tags: Accent Reduction Techniques, American English Pronunciation, mastering the american accent, schwa sound, Schwa Vowel Sound, Syllable stress
