A Tool for Learners of English as a Second Language
By: Judy M. Thompson
English is a difficult language. It does not sound the way
it looks. Learners 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 tiny piece of information takes the mystery out of the
spoken language: English is a stress-based language. What that means and how
that impacts students is easy and fun to explore.
Learners are tragically misinformed about the significance
of individual sounds in conversation. It is important to know that native
speakers find accents charming and communication does not break down because of
them. The seat of miscommunication in English is not in mispronounced letters,
but in absent or misplaced word stress. If the boss called for a meeting on
„VENS 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, native English speakers have tremendous latitude for
accommodating sound variations, and do not rely on perfect pronunciation for
understanding.
The Impact of Word
Stress in ESL – Maria’s Story
Maria is Latino, plucky and gorgeous. Her warmth and charm
transcend any language or cultural barriers. She moved to Canada from Central
America many years ago with her husband and four small children. As is often
the case, she was extremely isolated in her new country. Her children learned
English in school and her husband learned it at work. Thirteen years after
leaving El Salvador, she spoke no English and had no friends. Fortunately,
Maria did understand that domestic violence is not tolerated in Canada. When
she had finally had enough, she left her abusive husband and started a new life
for herself and her children.
Maria rented an apartment, applied for social assistance,
and enrolled in school. Her kind, effervescent personality was an asset to our
ESL classroom. But one day she arrived sad and depressed. Everyone noticed.
“What is the matter?” they wanted to know. Maria told a story every student
could relate to. It was her eldest son‟s sixteenth birthday and she wanted to
take her family out to celebrate. She couldn‟t afford to take everyone to
dinner, so she took them out for breakfast. When it was her turn to order, the
server asked what she wanted and she said, “Coffee an pekundaneesh.” The server
asked her to repeat her order. Beginning to feel uncomfortable, Maria repeated,
“Coffee an pekundaneesh.” The server turned on her heel and walked away,
scoffing, “Why doncha speak English?”
Maria was devastated. The celebration was ruined. She told
the class she was never going to a restaurant again. After we talked about her
disappointment, we resumed our lesson on Word
Stress. Maria learned that there is one and only one „stressed‟ syllable in
any word. She learned that the stressed syllables are higher, longer and louder
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 individual sounds are pronounced. At the end of the day Maria stood up and
shouted, “PE can DA nish!” She understood the lesson –
and the breakdown that happened in the restaurant the day before.
Monday morning Maria bounced into the classroom, her
cheerful, energetic self again. Everyone noticed. How was your weekend? In her
adorable Spanish accent, with her hand on her hip and her index finger wagging,
Maria filled us in. “Yesta day, I go back to dat restrant, I see dat lady and I
say to she - I wanna PEcan Danish! An she bring me.”
The crowd went wild. When her classmates‟ clapping and
cheering died down, she made a graceful curtsy before taking her seat. I have
only an inkling of the courage it took for her to go back and face that
waitress, but her triumph over word stress and restaurants was a triumph for us
all.
The Lesson: English is a Stress-based Language
Most languages are sound-based, where each letter represents
a different sound and every 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
(apart from the anxiety everyone feels about not being able to understand what
is going on). Word stress works differently in Spanish, French and German than
in English. “Ze frENCH have ze acCENT on ze deffeRENT syllaBLE” – again
charming. Word stress is so important in English that if the stress gets moved
around, the word changes meaning. PROduce is a noun meaning fruit and
vegetables, and
proDUCE is a verb that means to manufacture. CONtent is a noun for what is inside something and conTENT means happy.
There is virtually no indication how a word is going to
sound from its spelling, but its context, or the words around it, can often
give a clue.
Rule of Thumb
80% of two-syllable
nouns have the stress on the first syllable. TEAcher, STUdent, DOCtor, RUler,
COffee, ANgel, PEOple, PAper, PENcil, SUgar,
ORange…
Conversely, most two-syllable verbs have the stress on the
second syllable.
enJOY, beLIEVE, surPRISE, deLAY, emPLOY, reLAX, conSERVE,
emBRACE, suPPORT…
For words longer than two syllables, sorry, you are on your
own.
HOspital, TRIangle, baNAna, poSItion, tangeRINE, engiNEER
Summary
The 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 accents. Accents don‟t prevent ESL students from being understood,
and native English speakers find them charming.
LEARners must GEnerate
EMphasis to be sucCESSfully underSTOOD.
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