重读音节对词义的影响
美音听力与发音小技巧:第二期
WelcometoDailyTipsonLearningEnglish.Today’stipisonhowsyllablestresscanaffectthemeaningofwords.
Remenberthatstressedsyllablesaresaidlouderandarelengthened,andunstressedsyllablesarepronouncedmoresoftly,andoftenhavethevowelsoundsreduced.
Sometimes,thisdifferencecanbethedifferencebetweenaverbandanoun,oranadjective.
Thereareatleast14pairsofwordsinwhichsyllablestressalonemakesthisdifference.Someexamplesinclude`addict,a`ddict,`convict,con`vict,`perfect,per`fect.Eachtimethesecondsyllableisstressed,thewordisaverb.Whenthefirstsyllableisstressed,thewordiseitheranounoranadjective.Let’slooksomeexamplesmoreclosely.`Permit,per`mit,a`permitisanoun,itisapieceofpaperwhichauthorizesyoutodosomething.Forinstance,afishing`permitallowsyoutogofishing.Per`mitisaverb.Itmeanstoallow.Forinstence,fishingisn’tper`mittedherewithouta`permit.
Anotherexampleis`perfect,per`fect.`Perfectisanadjective.Itmeans100%correct,nomistakesorerrors.Theverbisper`fect,itmeanstomakesomethingperfect.Forexample,“Iwanttoper`fectmyEnglish”means“IwanttomakemyEnglishperfect”.Makesureyoustresstherightsyllable.Itcanbethedifferecebetweendifferentpartsofspeech.Thishasbeentoday’sdailytip.Tillthen,tomorrow,foranothertiponlearningEnglish.
