Difference between revisions of "Vowel tense-lax stress alternations"

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One complexity of the English stress and vowel system is vowel laxing when suffixes are added, that is, when a long or tense vowel reduces to a lax or short vowel with the addition of certain suffixes. This is part of the Latin stress pattern that English has inherited, and can pose challenges for learners, especially for those at intermediate to advanced levels as they learn more academic English with Latinate word elements.
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#REDIRECT [[Trisyllabic reduction]]
 
 
The affected syllable is often the second from the end (the penultimate syllable, denoted here as "-2"), with a tense (long) vowel. As other Latinate suffixes are added, the syllable is now the third syllable from the end ("-3"). Here the vowel shortens to a lax vowel, e.g.,
 
 
 
{| class="apatable"
 
|- class="apatable"
 
| '''Vowel = -2'''
 
| '''Vowel = -3'''
 
|-
 
| nátion  /neiʃən/ || nátional  /næʃənəl/
 
|-
 
| móde  /mɔʊd/ || módule  /mɔdyu:l/
 
|}
 
 
 
 
 
The addition of certain additional suffixes, incidentally, can cause the original primary stress to reduce to a secondary stress, e.g.:
 
: nàtionálity 
 
: mòdálity
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
==Tense – lax or long – short alternations  ==
 
 
 
Note the following tense-lax alternations in word formation. With the addition of new suffixes, the stress shifts, and the tense vowels can become lax when they are three syllables or more from the end of the word. This also happens sometimes with shorter words with the addition of ''-ic, -id. ''
 
 
 
=== Glided /ei/ - lax /æ/ ===
 
 
 
 
 
{| style="border-spacing:0;margin:auto;width:175.9mm;"
 
|- style="border:none;padding:0.97mm;"
 
|| cave
 
 
 
chaste
 
 
 
exclaim
 
 
 
defame
 
 
 
deprave
 
 
 
grade
 
 
 
grain
 
 
 
grateful
 
 
 
grave
 
 
 
humane
 
 
 
inflame
 
 
 
nation
 
 
 
nature
 
|| cavity
 
 
 
chastity
 
 
 
exclamatory
 
 
 
defamatory
 
 
 
depravity
 
 
 
gradual
 
 
 
granular
 
 
 
gratitude
 
 
 
gravity
 
 
 
humanity
 
 
 
inflammatory
 
 
 
national, nationality
 
 
 
natural
 
||
 
|| navy
 
 
 
opaque
 
 
 
page
 
 
 
pale
 
 
 
placate
 
 
 
profane
 
 
 
rabies
 
 
 
sacred
 
 
 
sane
 
 
 
state
 
 
 
table
 
 
 
vain
 
 
 
vapor
 
|| navigate
 
 
 
opacity
 
 
 
paginate
 
 
 
pallid
 
 
 
placid
 
 
 
profanity
 
 
 
rabid
 
 
 
sacrament
 
 
 
sanity
 
 
 
static
 
 
 
tabular
 
 
 
vanity
 
 
 
vapid
 
 
 
 
 
|-
 
|}
 
=== Glided /i:/ - lax /ɛ/  ===
 
 
 
 
 
{| style="border-spacing:0;margin:auto;width:175.9mm;"
 
|- style="border:none;padding:0.97mm;"
 
|| appeal
 
 
 
athlete
 
 
 
austere
 
 
 
brief
 
 
 
clean
 
 
 
clear
 
 
 
compete
 
 
 
concede
 
 
 
convene
 
 
 
creed
 
 
 
diabetes
 
 
 
deceive
 
 
 
discreet
 
 
 
extreme
 
 
 
heal
 
|| appellative
 
 
 
athletic
 
 
 
austerity*
 
 
 
brevity
 
 
 
cleanliness
 
 
 
clarity*
 
 
 
competitive
 
 
 
concession
 
 
 
convention
 
 
 
credible
 
 
 
diabetic
 
 
 
deception
 
 
 
discretion
 
 
 
extremity
 
 
 
health
 
||
 
|| Hellene
 
 
 
hygiene
 
 
 
intervene
 
 
 
meter
 
 
 
obscene
 
 
 
perceive
 
 
 
proceed
 
 
 
recede
 
 
 
receive
 
 
 
repeat
 
 
 
serene
 
 
 
severe
 
 
 
steal
 
 
 
sincere
 
 
 
supreme
 
|| Hellenic
 
 
 
hygienic
 
 
 
intervention
 
 
 
metric
 
 
 
obscenity
 
 
 
perception
 
 
 
procession
 
 
 
recession
 
 
 
reception
 
 
 
repetitive
 
 
 
serenity
 
 
 
severity
 
 
 
stealth
 
 
 
sincerity*
 
 
 
supremacy
 
|-
 
|}
 
<nowiki>*Some of these are “r-colored” vowels, /ɛr/, that is, the vowel sound seems somewhat different due to the influence of the /r/. </nowiki>
 
 
 
 
 
=== Diphthong /ai/ - lax /ɪ/  ===
 
 
 
 
 
{| style="border-spacing:0;margin:auto;width:175.9mm;"
 
|-
 
|| arthritis
 
 
 
Bible
 
 
 
collide
 
 
 
confide
 
 
 
contrite
 
 
 
crime
 
 
 
cycle
 
 
 
decide
 
 
 
define
 
 
 
dendrite
 
 
 
derive
 
 
 
describe
 
 
 
divide
 
 
 
divine
 
 
 
elide
 
 
 
expedite
 
 
 
juvenile
 
 
 
ignite
 
 
 
inscribe
 
 
 
line
 
 
 
mime
 
|| arthritic
 
 
 
biblical
 
 
 
collision
 
 
 
confident
 
 
 
contrition
 
 
 
criminal
 
 
 
cyclical
 
 
 
decision
 
 
 
definitive
 
 
 
dendritic
 
 
 
derivative
 
 
 
description
 
 
 
division
 
 
 
divinity
 
 
 
elision
 
 
 
expedition
 
 
 
juvenility
 
 
 
ignition
 
 
 
inscription
 
 
 
linear
 
 
 
mimic
 
||
 
|| mine
 
 
 
oblige
 
 
 
parasite
 
 
 
prescribe
 
 
 
prime
 
 
 
pyrite
 
 
 
revise
 
 
 
rite
 
 
 
satire
 
 
 
Semite
 
 
 
senile
 
 
 
sign
 
 
 
saliva
 
 
 
title
 
 
 
transcribe
 
 
 
triune
 
 
 
type
 
 
 
tyrant
 
 
 
vile
 
 
 
wide
 
 
 
wild
 
|| mineral
 
 
 
obligatory
 
 
 
parasitic
 
 
 
prescription
 
 
 
primitive
 
 
 
pyritic
 
 
 
revision
 
 
 
ritual
 
 
 
satirical
 
 
 
Semitic
 
 
 
senility
 
 
 
signal
 
 
 
salivate
 
 
 
titular
 
 
 
transcription
 
 
 
trinity
 
 
 
typical
 
 
 
tyranny
 
 
 
vilify
 
 
 
width
 
 
 
wilderness
 
|-
 
|}
 
 
 
 
 
Also, in British pronunciation of ''-ile'' as /ail/, we see alternations like ''hostile, hostility; futile, futility. ''
 
 
 
 
 
=== Glided /ou/ - lax /ɔ/  ===
 
 
 
 
 
{| style="border-spacing:0;margin:auto;width:175.9mm;"
 
|- style="border:none;padding:0mm;"
 
|| code
 
 
 
compose
 
 
 
cone
 
 
 
cyclone
 
 
 
episode
 
 
 
evoke
 
 
 
expose
 
 
 
globe
 
 
 
holy
 
 
 
hypnosis
 
 
 
joke
 
 
 
know
 
 
 
locate
 
 
 
microbe
 
 
 
microscope
 
|| codify
 
 
 
composite
 
 
 
conic
 
 
 
cyclonic
 
 
 
episodic
 
 
 
evocative
 
 
 
expository
 
 
 
globular
 
 
 
holiday
 
 
 
hypnotic
 
 
 
jocular
 
 
 
knowledge
 
 
 
locative
 
 
 
microbic
 
 
 
microscopic
 
||
 
|| mode
 
 
 
neurosis
 
 
 
omen
 
 
 
ozone
 
 
 
phone
 
 
 
provoke
 
 
 
psychosis
 
 
 
solo
 
 
 
symbiosis
 
 
 
telephone
 
 
 
telescope
 
 
 
tone
 
 
 
trope
 
 
 
verbose
 
 
 
vocal
 
|| modular
 
 
 
neurotic
 
 
 
ominous
 
 
 
ozonic
 
 
 
phonics
 
 
 
provocative
 
 
 
psychotic
 
 
 
solitude
 
 
 
symbiotic
 
 
 
telephonic
 
 
 
telescopic
 
 
 
tonic
 
 
 
tropical
 
 
 
verbosity
 
 
 
vocative
 
|-
 
|}
 
 
 
 
 
=== tense /u:/ - lax /ʊ/  ===
 
 
 
 
 
{| style="border-spacing:0;margin:auto;width:175.9mm;"
 
|- style="border:none;padding:0.97mm;"
 
|| adjudicate
 
 
 
assume
 
 
 
consume
 
 
 
crucify
 
 
 
deduce
 
 
 
duke
 
 
 
induce
 
 
 
numeral
 
|| adjudge
 
 
 
assumption
 
 
 
consumption
 
 
 
crux
 
 
 
deduction
 
 
 
duchy
 
 
 
induction
 
 
 
number
 
||
 
|| presume
 
 
 
produce
 
 
 
punitive
 
 
 
reduce
 
 
 
repugn
 
 
 
resume
 
 
 
seduce
 
|| presumption
 
 
 
production
 
 
 
punish
 
 
 
reduction
 
 
 
repugnant
 
 
 
resumption
 
 
 
seduction
 
|-
 
|}
 
 
 
 
 
==Other alternations==
 
 
 
There is also occasionally destressing of these vowels with the addition of a suffix, such as the negative suffix ''-in'':
 
 
 
{| style="border-spacing:0;margin:auto;width:175.9mm;"
 
|- style="border:none;padding:0.97mm;"
 
|| famous
 
 
 
finite
 
 
 
potent
 
|| infamous
 
 
 
infinite
 
 
 
impotent
 
|-
 
|}
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A few other such patterns also occur:
 
 
 
{| style="border-spacing:0;margin:auto;width:175.9mm;"
 
|- style="border:none;padding:0.97mm;"
 
|| pronounce
 
 
 
profound
 
 
 
abstain
 
 
 
maintain
 
 
 
detain
 
|| pronunciation
 
 
 
profundity
 
 
 
abstinence, abstention
 
 
 
maintenance
 
 
 
detention
 
||
 
|| pertain
 
 
 
persevere
 
 
 
retain
 
 
 
saline
 
|| pertinent
 
 
 
perseveration
 
 
 
retention
 
 
 
salinity
 
|-
 
|}
 
 
 
 
 
Possible variations or exceptions: Some speakers vary in whether they shorten these syllables in a few words; this can depend on dialect or personal style.
 
<blockquote>
 
penalize, phonological, economic, equinox, equatorial, equilateral, equidistant, homophone, hologram, amenable, placable, granary, nascent, predicate, simultaneous, sonorous, ammonic, patronize, patronage, microbic, gnomic, Hellenic, hydrophobic, finitude, homicide, myopic
 
</blockquote>
 
 
 
 
 
==Notes==
 
<references/>
 
 
 
===See also===
 
[[Portal:Phonology]]
 
 
 
{{#categorytree:Category:Vowels|hideroot|mode=pages}}
 
 
 
[[Category:Vowels]] [[Category:Phonology]]
 

Revision as of 07:37, 30 August 2019