Question

In the word "photograph", which syllable is stressed?

• A. First
• B. Second
• C. Third
• D. None

Answer 1

Answer:

A. First

Understanding Syllable Stress in English Phonetics

• What is Syllable Stress?

  • Syllable stress refers to the emphasis placed on a particular syllable within a word. When a syllable is stressed, it is pronounced with greater force, higher pitch, and longer duration compared to unstressed syllables.
  • It is a crucial aspect of English pronunciation, as incorrect stress can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or make speech sound unnatural.
  • Stress patterns are not always predictable and often need to be learned. However, there are general rules and tendencies.

• General Rules for Nouns and Compound Words

  • For most two-syllable nouns and adjectives in English, the stress usually falls on the first syllable (e.g., TEA-cher, TA-ble, HAP-py).
  • For compound nouns (words formed by combining two or more words), the stress typically falls on the first part of the compound word. For example, BLACK-bird, GREEN-house.
  • While 'photograph' is not a simple two-syllable word, its structure relates to this concept. It is formed from Greek roots: 'photo-' (light) and '-graph' (writing/drawing). As a noun, the tendency is to stress the initial part.

• Stress in "photograph" (Noun)

  • The word "photograph" has three syllables: pho-to-graph.
  • As a noun, the primary stress falls on the first syllable: PHO-to-graph. This follows a common pattern for many English nouns, especially those of three syllables that derive from compound-like structures, where the initial element carries the semantic weight.

• Important Stress Shifts in Related Words (Competitive Exam Focus)

  • A common pattern in English is the shift in syllable stress when the word changes its grammatical form (e.g., from noun to verb, or when suffixes are added). This is a frequent topic in competitive exams.
  • Consider the stress changes in the family of "photograph":
    • PHOTOGRAPH (noun): Stress on the first syllable (PHO-to-graph). This refers to the picture itself.
    • PHOTOGRAPH (verb): When used as a verb (to take a picture), the stress often shifts to the first syllable as well (PHO-to-graph), although sometimes secondary stress on the last syllable can be perceived. However, the noun stress is much stronger on the first.
    • PHOTOGRAPHY (noun, referring to the art/process): The stress shifts to the second syllable: pho-TOG-ra-phy. This is a common pattern for words ending in '-y' when derived from verbs or other nouns.
    • PHOTOGRAPHIC (adjective): The stress shifts to the third syllable: pho-to-GRAPH-ic. Words ending in '-ic' typically have the stress on the syllable immediately preceding the suffix.

• Significance of Syllable Stress for Exams

  • Understanding stress patterns is vital for questions related to pronunciation, phonetics, and sometimes even semantics (as stress can differentiate word types, e.g., 'present' - noun vs. verb).
  • Examiners often test knowledge of common stress rules and, more importantly, exceptions or shifts in stress, such as those seen in word families like 'photograph', 'photography', 'photographic'.