Word stress denotes the emphasis on one syllable of a word over the others. The stressed syllable would stand out from the rest in loudness and pitch, while the unstressed syllable would be softer and shorter. In English, changing the stress in a word can change the meaning of the word. This is crucial when the same word acts as a noun, verb or adjective. Let’s examine the words record, desert, present and contract. These words have different grammatical functions. Though spelt the same, they have different meanings and are called heteronyms.
- Record
- Noun: Record – the stress is on the first syllable, and the meaning of the word record as a noun would be as in the sentence – Bindu set a new record in the shooting championship.
- Verb: Record – the stress is on the second syllable, and the meaning of the word record as a verb would be as in the sentence: Murali could record his new song on Monday.
- Present
- Noun: Present – the stress is on the first syllable – meaning ‘a gift’ as in the sentence – Veena received a beautiful present on her birthday from her father.
- Verb: Present – the stress is on the second syllable – meaning ‘introduce or show’, as in the sentence – Velu will present his research paper at the international conference.
- Contract
- Noun: Contract – the stress is on the first syllable – meaning ‘a legal agreement’, as in the sentence – They signed the contract with the start-up yesterday.
- Verb: Contract – the stress is on the second syllable – meaning ‘shrink or catch something’, as in the sentence – Metals usually contract when cooled.
- Desert
- Noun: Desert – the stress is on the first syllable – meaning ‘barren land’ as in the sentence – I would like to travel on a camel through a vast and dry desert.
- Verb: Desert – the stress is on the second syllable – meaning ‘to abandon’, as in the sentence – You should never desert your parents in their old age.
WORKS CITED
Ladefoged, Peter, and Keith Johnson. A Course in Phonetics. 7th ed., Cengage Learning, 2015.
Roach, Peter. English Phonetics and Phonology: Word Stress in English. Cambridge University Press, 2020, www.cambridge.org/english-phonetics-word-stress. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.
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