Some English stress mistakes and solutions - A phonetic experimental research on Vietnamese students

ference among 12 TOKEN groups. 
42 Tran Thi Thanh Dieu: Some English Stress Mistakes and Solutions - A Phonetic Experimental 
Research on Vietnamese Students 
3.2.2. Types of English Stress Mistake 
From the phonetic experiment above, three types of English 
stress mistakes have been recognized 
Type 1: Rhythmic error (A) 
Right stress placement but nearly the same force for the two 
syllables, not adapt the Rhythmic Pattern {F = [S W]}. 
The two IS (MKS) adapted 50 -69% RP (CPAC), equal to 
16.66% since the intensity difference (ID) between the 2 
syllable peaks of IS_3 = 67.88 dB – 61.22 dB = 6.66 dB and ID 
between the 2 syllable of IS_4 = 73.05 dB – 65.04 dB = 8.01 dB. 
Therefore, there was no mistake of stress placement. However, 
this intensity difference can not lead to one strong syllable and 
one weak syllable of the Rhythmic pattern {F = [S W]}. 
Therefore, this is the illustration for the Rhythmic error (A). 
Figure 3. The intensity difference between the 2 syllable peaks of the word [chorale] between RP and IS_3,4. 
Type 2: Wrong placement of stress (B) 
Gaining the percentage 16.66% is the two investigated 
samples having the intensity difference between the 2 syllable 
peaks from 10p to adapt the Rhythmic pattern {F = [S W]}. 
However, the intensity difference between the two syllable 
peaks of IS_1 = 60.01 dB - 75.11 dB = - 15.1dB and between 
the two syllable peaks of IS_10 = 56.02 dB – 66,22 dB = - 10.2 
dB, to illustrate that the two investigated samples place stress 
on the 1st syllable to make the stress placement mistake (B). 
Figure 4. The intensity difference between the 2 syllable peaks of the word [chor ale] between RP and IS_1,10. 
ĐỐI CHIẾU HIỆU SỐ CƯỜNG ĐỘ 2 ĐINH ẨM TIẾT GIỮA CPAC VÀ MKS 3, 4
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1 2 3 4 5
sec
d
B
CPAC
MKS_3
MKS_4
ĐỐI CHIẾU HIỆU SỐ CƯỜNG ĐỘ 2 ĐINH ẨM TIẾT GIỮA CPAC VÀ MKS 1, 10
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1 2 3 4 5
sec
d
B
CPAC
MKS_10
MKS_1
 International Journal of Language and Linguistics 2017; 5(2): 39-49 43 
Type 3: The combination of type 1 and type 2: (A + B) 
Rhythmic error (A) and Wrong placement of stress (B). 
One more mistake type is the combination of the Rhythmic 
error (A) and the wrong placement of stress (B), having 25%, 
since the intensity difference between the two syllable peaks 
of IS_8 = 69.28 dB - 72.01 dB = -2.73 dB, IS_6 = 62.04 dB - 
64.03 dB =, -1.99 dB HSCĐ and T_2 = 65.55 dB - 67.11 dB =- 
1.56 dB to illustrate the wrong placement of stress while 
placing stress at the 1st syllable. Moreover, the intensity 
differences <3, showing the unablility of adapting the 
Rhythmic Pattern {F = [S W]}, to compare with the intensity 
difference between the two syllable peak of RP = = 72.60 dB - 
62.90 dB = 9.70 dB > 5. 
Figure 5. The intensity difference between the 2 syllable peaks of the word [chorale] between RP and IS_2,6,8. 
3.2.3. Solution 
Rhythm is so important to language with multi-syllabic 
words that children have to learn the rhythm of their L1 
very early in life [[12]]. By the time they reach the age of 
one, that rhythm is deeply familiar to them, and they will 
unconsciously apply it to any L2 that they learn (Aoyama et 
al. 2007). Since English learners will be predisposed to use 
the rhythm of their L1, it is highly important that they make 
consciously aware of the English system of rhythm. The 
basic unit of English rhythm is the syllable. A syllable is 
most simply explained as something with a vowel sound at 
its center. And while the number of syllables in a word is 
usually obvious to a native speaker of English, learners 
being accustomed to different phonological rules may not 
hear the syllable divisions in the same way. Since this 
seriously affects both intelligibility and listening 
comprehension, time must be spent training students’ ears 
to notice the number of syllables in the words they learn. 
Precisely, Vietnamese rhythmic pattern does not have the 
differences in intensity between stressed and unstressed 
syllables; on the contrary, English rhythmic pattern has 
differences in intensity (of course also in pitch and vowel 
duration). As a result, to be affected by this mother-tongue 
characteristics, Vietnamese students are not aware of the 
importance of syllable weight, shown through intensity, the 
main cue to identify English word stress, which decide the 
ability to catch the accurate information based on the main 
syllable of a word, which is not only the stressed syllable 
but also the tonic syllable in a tone unit. Therefore, teachers 
should spend more time training students how to count the 
number of syllable in a word, identify the syllable weight 
(strong syllable/ heavy syllable = stressed syllable and 
weak syllable/ light syllable = unstressed syllable) to be 
able to follow the English rhythmic pattern. Therefore, 
from the conclusion above, the English stress rules for 
English multi-syllabic words, are systemized, as follows 
[[19]]. 
44 Tran Thi Thanh Dieu: Some English Stress Mistakes and Solutions - A Phonetic Experimental 
Research on Vietnamese Students 
 International Journal of Language and Linguistics 2017; 5(2): 39-49 45 
46 Tran Thi Thanh Dieu: Some English Stress Mistakes and Solutions - A Phonetic Experimental 
Research on Vietnamese Students 
 International Journal of Language and Linguistics 2017; 5(2): 39-49 47 
Figure 6. English stress rules. 
From the table of complicated stress rules above, a brief 
summary of key points for recognizing the places of stress in 
English words has been consolidated based on rhythm, melody, 
word types (simple, compound, complex), word class (N, V, 
Adj), and the number of syllable with or without affix, as well 
as syllable structure based on the Rhythmic patterns [[18]]. The 
foundation of English rhythmic patterns is the existence of the 2 
types of syllables: light syllable and heavy syllable, called 
Trochee: Trochee: Trochaic foot with 1 long syllable (= heavy 
syllable = strong syllable = stressed syllable) and 1 short 
syllable (= light syllable = unstressed syllable). Strong syllable 
is a syllable with initial consonant and a complicated rhyme 
which consists of final consonant and a short vowel or long 
vowel or a diphthong as nuclei [[18], p. 125]. On the contrary, a 
light syllable contains a vowel in the rhyme, with or without 
onset but no coda, as the first syllable in the word report, about 
[[18], p. 85]. 
Therefore, based on the distinction between heavy syllable 
and light syllable, word class, and the number of syllable with 
or without affix, as well as syllable structure based on the 
Rhythmic patterns, the characteristics of stressed and unstressed 
syllable have been simply systemized as follows: [[19], p. 119 – 
124]. 

 The main characteristics of the unstressed syllable: 
Syllable containing schwa or short vowel or diphthong 
/
∪/, ending with not more than 1 consonant. 

 The main characteristics of the stressed syllable: the 
syllable containing long vowel or diphthong or ending 
with more than 1 consonant. 

 Especially, no initial syllable in a verb and no final 
syllable in a noun, as well as no prefix are stressed. 
(i). Simple Words: Multi-syllabic Words Without Affix 
(a). Simple disyllabic words: Syllable containing long vowel 
or diphthong or ending with more than 1 consonant is stressed. 
Ex: photo [’f∪t∪], chorale [k ‘r≙:l], comfort [‘kmft]. 
(b). Simple trisyllabic words, with some special points 

 Trisyllabic verb: No initial syllable is stressed. Therefore, 
syllable containing long vowel or diphthong or ending 
with more than 1 consonant is stressed. Ex: entertain 
/[ent ’tein]. 

 Trisyllabicnoun: No final syllable is stressed. Therefore, 
the syllable containing long vowel or diphthong orending 
with more than 1 consonant is stressed. Ex: character 
[‘k∵r∩kt], mimosa [m∩’m∪s]. 
Figure 7. The main characteristics of the stressed and unstressed syllables in 
simple words. 
48 Tran Thi Thanh Dieu: Some English Stress Mistakes and Solutions - A Phonetic Experimental 
Research on Vietnamese Students 
(ii). Complex Word: Multi-syllabic Word with Affix 
(a). Prefix 

 There is no prefix of one or two syllables that always 
carries primary stress. 

 Stress in the word with prefix is governed by the same 
rules as those for words without prefixes. 

 Word-class pairs: The stress will be placed on the second 
syllable of the verb but on the first syllable of the noun or 
Adjective. 
Figure 8. The stress characteristics of prefix. 
(b). Suffix 

 Suffixes carrying primary stress themselves: (-ain, -ee, 
-eer, -ese, -ette, -esque, -ique). Ex: entertain /ent ’tein/; 

 Suffixes that do not affect stress placement: 
(‘-able’,’-age’,’-al’,’-en’,’-fu’,’-ing’). 

 The stress on the syllable immediately preceding the 
suffix: 
(‘ish’‘-like’,’-less’,’-ly’,‘-ment’.‘-ness’,’-ous’,’-fy’,’-wisw
’,’-y’) 

 Suffixes that influence stress in the stem: (‘-eous’, 
‘-graphy’,’-ial’, ‘-ic’, ’-ion’, ‘-ious’, ’-ty’) 
Figure 9. The stress characteristics of suffix. 
(iii). Compound Word: with 2 Roots 
In the compound with 2 Nouns, The 1st syllable is stressed. 
In the other cases, the 2nd syllable is stressed. 
Figure 10. Characteristics of the stressed syllable in compound words. 
4. Conclusion 
In short, English word stress can be recognized by the 
following criteria: 

 Syllable structure characteristics: Only strong syllables 
are stressed. Strong syllables (sometimes called heavy 
syllable) is a syllable which has a complex rhyme, with 
two cases. First, a heavy syllable may have a short vowel, 
but one or more coda consonants. Second, it may have a 
branching nucleus, consisting of a long vowel or 
diphthong; such a syllable will be heavy whether it also 
has a bled coda; 

 Word structure: Simple words is based on the syllable 
structure characteristics to recognize stress. Complex 
word: no prefix is stressed; Suffixes are stressed and 
unstressed, change stressed syllable or not. Compound 
words with 2 nouns are stressed on the first syllable; 
otherwise, the second syllable is stressed; 

 Rhythmic pattern Stress-timed language, with the 
rhythmic pattern based on the regular repetition of the 
stressed syllables: Pattern {F = [S W]}, (F = Foot, S = 
strong, W = weak); 

 Intensity: English word stress can be mainly recognized 
by intensity; therefore, stressed syllable is pronounced 
with much force, also longer (duration), and higher 
(pitch). 
Remembering the four criteria above helps students prevent 
from the three main types of stress errors: (1). Rhythmic error 
(no Rhythmic Pattern {F = [S W]}); (2). Stress placement 
error; and (3). The combination of Rhythmic and Placement 
error. 
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