Question

What is the term for words that change meaning depending on stress placement?

• A. Minimal pairs
• B. Stress-timed words
• C. Heteronyms
• D. Homophones

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Heteronyms

Understanding Heteronyms and Stress Placement

• Heteronyms are a specific type of word where the spelling remains the same, but the pronunciation (specifically the syllable stress) changes, leading to a completely different meaning and often a different part of speech.
• This phenomenon highlights the importance of suprasegmental features like stress in English phonology, which can distinguish words that are otherwise identical in their written form.

Examples of Common Heteronyms (Noun vs. Verb Distinction):

• 'PRE-sent' (noun: a gift) vs. 'pre-SENT' (verb: to offer).
• 'CON-tract' (noun: an agreement) vs. 'con-TRACT' (verb: to shrink).
• 'REC-ord' (noun: a piece of information, a disc) vs. 're-CORD' (verb: to write down or capture sound).
• 'PRO-duce' (noun: fresh fruits and vegetables) vs. 'pro-DUCE' (verb: to make or create).
• 'SUB-ject' (noun: a topic, a person under control) vs. 'sub-JECT' (verb: to bring under control).
• 'CON-tent' (noun: the material inside) vs. 'con-TENT' (adjective: happy or satisfied).

Key Distinctions for Competitive Exams:

• Heteronyms vs. Homographs:

  • A homograph is any word that is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning (e.g., bat (animal) and bat (sports equipment) – these are homographs but not heteronyms as their pronunciation doesn't necessarily change with meaning).
  • All heteronyms are homographs, but not all homographs are heteronyms. Heteronyms are a subset of homographs where the pronunciation (due to stress shift) is explicitly different.

• Heteronyms vs. Homophones:

  • Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings (e.g., to, too, two; flour, flower).
  • Heteronyms, by definition, do not sound the same; their pronunciation changes.

• Heteronyms vs. Capitonyms:

  • Capitonyms are words that change meaning and sometimes pronunciation based on whether they are capitalized (e.g., Polish (from Poland) vs. polish (to shine); March (month) vs. march (to walk)).
  • Heteronyms are distinguished by stress placement, not capitalization.

Relevance in English Language Sections:

• Understanding heteronyms is crucial for questions on pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and phonetics in competitive exams.
• They often appear in sections testing the candidate's grasp of subtle linguistic nuances and their ability to identify the correct meaning based on context and pronunciation cues.