Stress-Carrying and Stress-Shifting Suffixes | Lesson 1
Speaking-skills index
When you add certain suffixes to certain roots or base words in English, the stress may shift to another syllable.
Other times, the suffix itself carries the stress regardless where the stress is in the root or base word.
Pixabay | Pexels
Stress-Carrying Suffixes
Stress-carrying suffixes are suffixes that carry stress. When you add a stress-carrying suffix to a base, the suffix has the primary stress which, in turn, affects the stress pattern of the base word.
In the examples below, notice how the suffixes carry the primary stress. Because the word is now stressed at the suffix, the syllable that was stressed in the root word is often reduced.
Syllable stress with stress-carrying suffixes
-aire
billion / ˈbɪl jən / > billionaire / ˌbɪl jəˈnɛər /
million / ˈmɪl jən / > millionaire / ˌmɪl jəˈnɛər /
question / ˈkwɛs tʃən / > questionnaire / ˌkwɛs tʃəˈnɛər /
-ese
China / ˈtʃaɪ nə / > Chinese / tʃaɪˈniːz /
Congo / ˈkɒŋ goʊ / > Congolese / ˌkɒŋɡəˈliːz/
Japan / dʒəˈpæn / > Japanese / ˌdʒæpəˈniːz /
Lebanon / ˈlɛb ə ˌnɒn / > Lebanese /ˌlɛbəˈniːz/
legal / ˈli gəl / > legalese / ˌli gəˈliz /
Malta / ˈmɔl tə / > Maltese /mɔːlˈtiːz/
Portugal / ˈpɔr tʃə gəl / > Portuguese /pɔr.tʃʊ.ˈɡiz/
Sudan / suˈdæn > / Sudanese /ˌsud ˈniz /
Vietnam / viˌɛtˈnɑm, -ˈnæm / > Vietnamese /viˌɛtnəˈmiːz /
Stress-Shifting Suffixes
Stress-shifting suffixes are suffixes that shift the placement of stress in a word. The stress remains in the base word, but it shifts (or moves) from one syllabus to another. Due to the stress shift, the quality of the vowels of the base word may also change.
For example, the base words “essence” / ˈɛs əns / and “director” / / have the stress in the first syllable. Adding the stress-shifting suffix -ial to them, causes the stress to shift to a different syllable: “essential" / / and “directorial” / /. Note that vowels can also as a result of the stress shift.
Stress on the syllable before the suffix
-eous
advantage > advantageous
courage > courageous
outrage > outrageous
Other Words
-ual
habit > habitual
Other words
perpetual / /
floral / /
-ify
significance > signify
simple > simplify
-ous
mystery > mysterious
Exceptions
scandal > scandalous
-ial
finance > financial
text