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Question

Difficulty: MediumWord and Syllable Stress

Which of the following syllabifications correctly indicates the primary stress placement for the word bureaucratic?

  1. A
    BU-reau-crat-ic
  2. B
    bu-REAU-crat-ic
  3. bu-reau-CRAT-icAnswer
  4. D
    bu-reau-crat-IC

Answer

bu-reau-CRAT-ic
In standard English pronunciation, polysyllabic words ending with the suffix '-ic' consistently place primary stress on the penultimate syllable. For the four-syllable word 'bureaucratic', the penultimate syllable is 'crat', making 'bu-reau-CRAT-ic' the correct stress pattern.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the morphological structure and suffix of the target word 'bureaucratic'.
The word is composed of four syllables (bu-reau-crat-ic) and carries the adjectival suffix '-ic'.
English stress rules dictate that words ending in the suffix '-ic' assign primary stress to the penultimate syllable (the syllable immediately preceding '-ic').
2
Identify the penultimate syllable in 'bureaucratic'.
The third syllable 'crat' is the penultimate syllable.
Applying the '-ic' suffix rule places primary stress on 'crat', yielding the stress pattern bu-reau-CRAT-ic.

Key Concept

Penultimate primary stress rule for words ending in '-ic'
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Topics

Word and Syllable Stress

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