NATURE OF ENGLISH WORD STRESS

Abstract

This article examines the nature of word stress in English, focusing on its acoustic 
and phonetic characteristics as well as its functional role in speech. The study analyzes 
the parameters that create syllable prominence—intensity, duration, fundamental 
frequency, and formant structure. Several types of stress are discussed, including 
dynamic, musical, quantitative, and qualitative, showing that English stress is a 
complex, multi-parameter phenomenon. Linguistically relevant degrees of stress are 
described: primary, secondary, and weak, with attention to the debated tertiary degree. 
The article also explains common patterns of stress placement in English, emphasizing 
the recessive and rhythmic tendencies typical for English phonological structure. 
Finally, distinctions between word stress and sentence stress are addressed. The study 
concludes that word stress is essential for lexical identification and intelligibility in 
English, especially in fast or unclear speech.