English is a Stress-Based Language: A Tool for Learners of English as a Second Language (ESL)
English is a difficult language. It doesn’t sound like it looks. Students are often frustrated trying to understand what others are saying and too self-conscious about their accents to speak. The good news for ESL students is that one small piece of information takes the mystery out of spoken language: English is a stress-based language. What that means and how it affects students is easy and fun to explore.
Students are tragically misinformed about the meaning of individual sounds in conversation. It is important to know that native speakers find accents lovely aand communication is not broken because of them. The seat of the lack of communication in English is not in the mispronounced letters, but in the absent or misplaced ones. word stress. If the boss called a meeting on ‘SELL day’, everyone would show up the day after Tuesday, but if he said the meeting was on ‘vensDAY‘, no one would know when the meeting was, and they couldn’t guess. The truth is that native English speakers have great freedom to adapt to sound variations and do not depend on perfect pronunciation for understanding.
The Impact of Word Stress in ESL – Maria’s Story
María is Latina, brave and gorgeous. Her warmth and charm transcend any language or cultural barrier. She moved to Canada from Central America many years ago with her husband and four young children. As is often the case, she was extremely isolated in her new country. Her children learned English at school and her husband learned it at work. Thirteen years after leaving El Salvador, she spoke no English and had no friends. Fortunately, Ella Maria understood that domestic violence is not tolerated in Canada. When she finally had enough, she left her abusive husband and started a new life for her and her children.
Maria rented an apartment, applied for social assistance and enrolled in school. Her friendly and effervescent personality was a plus for our ESL class. But one day she came to her sad and depressed. They all noticed. “What is the problem?” they wanted to know. Maria told a story that all the students could relate to. It was her eldest son’s sixteenth birthday and she wanted to bring her family to celebrate. She couldn’t afford to invite everyone to dinner, so she invited them to breakfast. When it was her turn to order from her, her server asked her what she wanted and she said, “Coffee and pekundaneesh.” The server asked him to repeat her request. Beginning to feel uncomfortable, she Maria repeated, “Coffee and pekundaneesh.” The server turned and walked away from her, sneering, “Why don’t you speak English?”
Maria was devastated. The celebration was ruined. She told the class that she would never go to a restaurant again. After talking about her disappointment, we return to our lesson on Word Stress. Maria learned that there is one and only one ‘stressed’ syllable in any word. You learned that stressed syllables are higher, longer, and stronger than other syllables, and if the word stress is missing or in the wrong place, native speakers cannot understand what is being said no matter how perfectly the words are pronounced. individual sounds. At the end of the day, Maria stood up and shouted: “PHYSICAL EDUCATION they can AD nish!” She got the lesson – and the meltdown that happened at the restaurant the day before.
On Monday morning Maria burst into the classroom, her cheerful and energetic self again. They all noticed. How was your weekend? With her adorable Spanish accent, with her hand on her hip and wagging her index finger, Maria told us. “Yesterday, I go back to that restaurant, I see that lady and I tell her: I want PHYSICAL EDUCATIONthey can givesend up! And she brings me.”
The crowd went crazy. When the applause and cheers from her classmates died down, she gracefully bowed before taking her seat. I only have an idea of the courage it took for him to go back and confront that waitress, but her triumph over the stress of words and restaurants was a triumph for all of us.
The lesson: English is a stress-based language
Most languages are based on sounds, where each letter represents a different sound and each syllable is equally important. When East Indians, Arabs, or Asians speak, they sound like sewing machines to native English speakers. Native speakers can’t hear the ‘stress’ because there isn’t any (aside from the anxiety everyone feels about not being able to understand what’s going on). Word stress works differently in Spanish, French, and German than it does in English. “Ze FRENCH HAVE ZE STRESS ON ZE DIFFERENT SYLLABLES” – lovely again.
Word stress is so important in English that if you change its place, the word changes its meaning.
Produce is a noun meaning fruits and vegetables, and produce is a verb that means to make. Glad is a noun for what is inside something and glad means happy.
There is virtually no indication of what a word is going to sound like from its spelling, but its context, or the words around it, can often give a clue.
Golden Rule
80% off two-syllable nouns have the stress on the first syllable.
TEACHER, STUDENT, DOCTOR, RULER, COFFEE, ANGEL, PEOPLE, PAPER, PENCIL, SUGAR, ORANGE…
On the contrary, most two-syllable verbs have the stress on the second syllable.
ENJOY, BELIEVE, SURPRISE, DELAY, EMPLOY, RELAX, PRESERVE, EMBRACE, SUPPORT…
For words longer than two syllables, sorry, you’re on your own.
HOSPITAL, TRIANGLE, BANANA, POSITION, TANGERINE, ENGINEER
Summary
Meaning in English is not in the production of individual sounds but in finding the correct syllable to pronounce higher, longer, and louder than the rest of the word.
ESL students can stop worrying about their accent. Accents don’t prevent ESL students from being understood, and native English speakers find them charming.
The LEARNINGS must GEnerate MSphase to be sucTAXtotally lowREMAINED.