English Pronunciation Tip of the Day
Tip 11
Category:
Affixes, Stress
Author: JAM
<-ic>, <-ical>
Some suffixes alter the stress of words to which they are attached. The adjective forming suffix <-ic> imposes stress on the immediately preceding syllable. Here are some examples (only the first and last have sound):
| magnet | /"m{gn@t/ | magnetic | /m{g"netIk/ | |
| moron | /"mO:rQn/ | moronic | /m@"rQnIk/ | |
| photograph | /"f@Ut@grA:f/ | photographic | /f@Ut@"gr{fIk/ | |
| realist | /"rI@lIst/ | realistic | /rI@"lIstIk/ |
The same is true of the adjective forming suffix <-ical>.
| cylinder | /"sIlInd@/ | cylindrical | /sI"lIndrIkl/ | |
| psychology | /saI"kQl@dZi/ | psychological | /saIk@"lQdZIkl/ |
Remember that when the stress changes, the vowel quality often changes too. We'll deal with this in more detail in a future tip.