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Question

Difficulty: MediumWord and Syllable Stress

Which of the following options shows the correct primary stress placement for the word economical?

  1. A
    E-co-nom-i-cal
  2. B
    e-CO-nom-i-cal
  3. e-co-NOM-i-calAnswer
  4. D
    e-co-nom-I-cal

Answer

e-co-NOM-i-cal
In English phonology, words ending with the suffix '-ical' take primary stress on the syllable right before the suffix. For 'economical', this is the third syllable ('NOM'), rendering the correctly stressed pattern as 'e-co-NOM-i-cal'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the syllable structure and suffix of the target word
The word 'economical' consists of five syllables (e-co-nom-i-cal) and ends in the adjectival suffix '-ical'.
English stress assignment rules for polysyllabic adjectives heavily depend on suffix endings.
2
Apply the phonological stress rule for words ending in '-ical'
Primary stress falls on the syllable immediately preceding the '-ic'/'-ical' suffix, which is the third syllable ('NOM').
Words with '-ic' or '-ical' suffixes systematically place primary accentuation on the antepenultimate syllable of the word.

Key Concept

Suffix-conditioned primary stress placement (-ical rule)
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Topics

Word and Syllable Stress

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