SEMINAR 5. THE ACCENTUAL STRUCTURE OF ENGLISH WORDS.

TOPICS FOR REPORTS

1) Definition of the ‘word accent’ (word stress) and the ways to increase the degree of prominence in English.

2) Degrees and types of word stress.

3) Possible accentual structures of English words (approximately 6, e.g. those worked out by G.P.Torsuev) and word-examples for each one.

4) Five basic rules of English word accentuation.

HOME PRACTICE

Exercise 1. Find 1 or 2 examples from the words listed below for the accentual types indicated in the following table:

patriotic, recover (to cover again), recover (to get better), redress (to dress again), redress (to make amends for smth), recollect (to collect again), recollect (to succeed in remembering), modesty, conversation, ability, cigarette, enumerate, picturesque, overvalue, systematize, antifascist, employee, paragraph, garage, multiply, machine, satire.

Exercise 2. (a) Transcribe (marking the stress) and read the following words. (b) Be prepared to translate them:

a blackboard, a black board; a black bird, a blackbird; a green house, a greenhouse, to export, the export; to increase, the increase; to accent, the accent; to conduct, the conduct; to insult, the insult; to extract, the extract, a 'missing 'list, a 'missing-list, a 'dancing 'girl, a 'dancing-girl.

Exercise 3. Read the following sentences observing the accurate pronunciation and the word stress:

1) The farmer was proud to produce good produce.

2) The dump was full, so it had to refuse the refuse.

3) The Poles should polish their Polish furniture.

4) A soldier decided to desert hid dessert in a desert.

5) There’s no time like present, to present a present.

6) He didn’t object to the object.

7) The health insurance was invalid for the invalid.

8) The oarsmen had a row about how to row.

9) Let us project our project.

10) After a number of injections his jaw got number.

11) He had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

12) How can I intimate this to my intimate friend?

13) A convert decided to convert his money and donate it.

14) It’s bad conduct to conduct an orchestra in that way.

15) The official did not permit the permit to be discussed.

16) The policeman was suspect of the alibi of the suspect.

17) The company did not recall having sent out the recall.

QUESTIONS FOR SELF STUDY:

1) How is the pitch component manifested in English word stress?

2) Is the qualitative modification of unstressed vowels obligatory in English? Illustrate your idea with examples.

3) What is the main difference between English and Russian in respect of degrees of word stress?

4) Illustrate the use of the accentual pattern with two primary stresses with the set of words. Give five examples for each group.

5) How is the accentual pattern modified under the influence of the rhythmic structure of the phrase? E.g. well-known:

His books are well-known.

He is a well-known writer.

This is quite well-known.

6) What is the difference in the accentual patterns of compound nouns, adjectives, verbs?

7) What kind of accentual oppositions are capable of differentiating the meaning?

LITERATURE:

1) Васильев В.А. и др. Фонетика английского языка. Нормативный курс: Учебник для ин-тов и фак.ин.яз. – М.: Высш.шк, 1980 – с. 89-94.

2) Дикушина О.И. Фонетика английского языка. Теоретический курс. – М.: Просвещение, 1965. – С.118-128.

3) Соколова М.А., Гинтовт К.П., Кантер Л.А., Крылова Н.И. Практическая фонетика английского языка: Учеб.для студ.высш.уч.заведений. –М.:Гуманит.изд.центр ВЛАДОС, 2003.- с.138-146.

4) Соколова М.А., Гинтовт К.П., Тихонова И.С., Тихонова Р.М. Теоретическая фонетика английского языка: Учеб.для студ.высш.уч.заведений. – 3-е изд., стереотип. – М.:Гуманит.изд.центр ВЛАДОС, 2003.- с.121-135.