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Question

Difficulty: EasyWord and Syllable Stress

Match each of the following polysyllabic English words to its correct syllabified form showing primary stress placement in UPPERCASE letters.

  • economicec-o-NOM-ic
  • curiositycu-ri-OS-i-ty
  • speculateSPEC-u-late
  • clarificationclar-i-fi-CA-tion

Answer

'economic' matches 'ec-o-NOM-ic', 'curiosity' matches 'cu-ri-OS-i-ty', 'speculate' matches 'SPEC-u-late', and 'clarification' matches 'clar-i-fi-CA-tion'.
Each word follows a established phonological suffix stress rule in English: '-ic' places primary stress on the penultimate syllable ('ec-o-NOM-ic'), '-ity' places primary stress on the antepenultimate syllable ('cu-ri-OS-i-ty'), three-syllable '-ate' verbs place primary stress on the antepenultimate syllable ('SPEC-u-late'), and '-tion' places primary stress on the penultimate syllable ('clar-i-fi-CA-tion').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the stress pattern for 'economic'
The adjective suffix '-ic' places primary stress on the penultimate syllable, giving ec-o-NOM-ic.
In English phonology, words taking the suffix '-ic' predictably attract stress to the syllable immediately before the suffix.
2
Determine the stress pattern for 'curiosity'
The nominalizing suffix '-ity' places primary stress on the antepenultimate syllable, giving cu-ri-OS-i-ty.
Words ending in '-ity' cause a stress shift to the third syllable from the end of the word.
3
Determine the stress pattern for 'speculate'
Three-syllable verbs ending in '-ate' carry primary stress on the antepenultimate syllable, giving SPEC-u-late.
Verbs of three syllables ending in '-ate' follow the general rule of antepenultimate primary accentuation.
4
Determine the stress pattern for 'clarification'
The suffix '-tion' places primary stress on the syllable preceding it, giving clar-i-fi-CA-tion.
Nouns formed with '-ation' / '-tion' consistently take primary stress on the penultimate syllable.

Key Concept

Suffix-driven Primary Syllable Stress Rules
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Topics

Word and Syllable Stress

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