# 2.3.2. 重音（Stress）
当一个词汇由一个以上的音节构成之时，其中的某个音节可能带有重音（*stress*），在音标中使用 ˈ 作为标记。
When a word contains more than one syllable, one of those syllables may carry the *stress*, marked by ˈ in phonetic notation.
一个多音节词汇中，最多只有一个重音音节，但，可能还有另外一些音节是**次重音**（*secondary stress*），在音标中使用 ˌ 作为标记。比如，*serendipity* ˌserənˈdɪpət̬i，有一个**重音**和一个**次重音**。而 *[Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis)* 总计有 19 个音节，其中 7 个是次重音，唯一的重音是 oʊ……
In a multisyllabic word, there is *only one* syllable with *primary stress*. However, there may be other syllables with *secondary stress*, marked by ˌ in phonetic notation. For instance, *serendipity* ˌserənˈdɪpət̬i has one primary stress and one secondary stress. On the other hand, the word *[Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis)* consists of *19* syllables in total, with *7* carrying secondary stress and the *sole* primary stress falling on oʊ.
在学习英文的时候，亚洲人特别需要注意的是，要从心理上纠正一个对应关系，“英文音节 - 字”，而不是 “英文单词 - 字” —— 亚洲文字，无论是中文、日文还是韩文，所有的字都是单音节构成。
What Asian learners of English must be especially mindful of is to mentally correct the correlation from "*English syllable - Asian Character*" instead of "English word - Asian Character". This is because all characters in Asian languages, whether Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, are composed of single syllables.
*individual* ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒuəl 这一个单词，总计 *5* 个音节，即，相当于 *5* 个汉字的长度…… 对比以下句子的音节数量：
The word *individual* ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒuəl has a total of *5* syllables, which is equivalent to the length of *5* Chinese characters. Consider the comparison between the number of syllables in the following sentences
> * 人们看法各不相同。[Rénmen kànfǎ gè bù xiāngtóng] —— 总计 *8* 个字，*8* 个音节。
> * 人们看法各不相同。[Rénmen kànfǎ gè bù xiāngtóng] - *8 characters in Chinese, 8 syllables*.
> * People's opinions vary from individual to individual. ˈpiːpəlz əˈpɪnjənz ˈveri frɑːm ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒuəl tuː ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒuəl —— 总计 *7* 个单词，*19* 个音节。
> * People's opinions vary from individual to individual. ˈpiːpəlz əˈpɪnjənz ˈveri frɑːm ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒuəl tuː ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒuəl - *7* words in English, *19* syllables.
这个对应关系的纠正很重要，因为这个对应关系在最底层影响连贯声音的理解方式。
Recognizing this correlation is crucial as it fundamentally affects how we comprehend the flow of sounds in a sentence.
另外一个重点在于，英文的音节有**重音**、**次重音**、**非重音**的区别，这一点也和亚洲语言明显不同。
Another crucial point is that English syllables have varying degrees of stress: *primary stress*, *secondary stress*, and the *unstressed*, which is noticeably different from Asian languages.
5 个汉字（或者日文字、韩文字）排在一起大概是这样的：
When 5 Chinese characters (or Japanese or Korean characters) are lined up, it might look like this:
但，由 5 个音节构成的词汇 *individual* 相应应该是这样的：
However, the word *individual*, which is composed of 5 syllables, would likely be represented like this:
英语里除了**重音**、**次重音**、**非重音**之外，还有**弱音**，比如被弱化成 ə 的 *schwa*。
In English, in addition to primary stress, secondary stress, and unstressed syllables, we also have weakly pronounced syllables, like the schwa (ə) sound that occurs when syllables are reduced.
细细体会 *individual* ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒuəl 这个词，如果每个音节都清晰地用同样的强度读出来的话，应该是 ɪn-dɪ-vɪ-dʒju-əl…… 这里面，第 2 个音节 dɪ里的元音 ɪ 被弱化为 ə；另外，第 4 个音节 dʒu 里的元音 ju 也被弱化成了 ə，但保留了 u 的音色；而处于音节末尾的 l，之前自带着轻微的 ə，于是连成了很轻的 ʷᵊl……
Let's dig deep into the word *individual*, for example, it's pronounced as ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒuəl. If each syllable was placed equal stress, it would sound something like /ɪn-dɪ-vɪ-dʒju-əl/... Within this pronunciation, the vowel ɪ in the second syllable dɪ is reduced to the schwa sound, ə; likewise, the vowel ju in the fourth syllable dʒu is also reduced to ə, but retains the coloration of u. The l at the end of the syllable, which originally carries a slight ə sound, thus becomes a very light ʷᵊl...
英文的元音有长短之分。需要注意的是：当一个**短元音**构成的**音节**是**重音**的时候，该音节会自然而然读得更长一些，比如 *city* 或者 *silly* 之中的第一个重音音节 ˈsɪ —— 可能是因为 s 音拉得更长；再比如，*Thanks, I owe you a big one.* 这句话里的 *big* —— 可能是因为 bɪg 这个词（**音节**）的**音调**（pitch, [2.5.1](2.5.1-pitch)）拉高，或者干脆是 ɪ 这个**短元音**拉长……
In English, vowel sounds can vary in length. It's interesting to note that when a syllable with a short vowel sound is *stressed*, it's naturally pronounced a bit longer. For example, the first stressed syllable in words like *city* or *silly*, ˈsɪ may be extended due to the drawn-out s sound. Similarly, the word *big* in the sentence "*Thanks, I owe you a big one*," may be elongated because the pitch of the syllable bɪg is raised or simply because the short vowel ɪ is stretched out.
有些时候，同样的词汇，因**重音位置**不同会产生**词义**或**词性**的变化。比如，*address*, ˈædres 是名词，“地址”；əˈdres 是动词，“强调”；再比如，*record*，可以读作 ˈrekɚd 或 rɪˈkɔːrd，前者是名词，后者是动词。
At times, the same word can bear different meanings or parts of speech due to the varying placement of the *stress*. For example, the word *address* when pronounced as ˈæˌdres is a *noun*, meaning *place of residence*. However, when pronounced as əˈdres, it is a *verb*, indicating to *highlight* or *bring attention to*. And *record* can be pronounced as ˈrekɚd or rɪˈkɔːrd. The former is a *noun*, while the latter is a *verb*.
类似的还有很多，比如以下常见词汇[^1]：
Note, the same word, when pronounced with stress on different syllables, can change its part of speech. Consider the following common words as examples:
| Noun | Verb |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 'conduct ˈkɑːndʌkt | con'duct kənˈdʌkt |
| 'conflict ˈkɑːnflɪkt | con'flict kənˈflɪkt |
| 'convert ˈkɑːnvɝːt | con'vert kənˈvɝːt |
| 'digest ˈdaɪdʒest | di'gest daɪˈdʒest |
| 'permit ˈpɝːmɪt | per'mit pɚˈmɪt |
| 'rebel ˈrebəl | re'bel rɪˈbel |
| 'subject ˈsʌbdʒekt | sub'ject səbˈdʒekt |
在随后的章节里我们会涉及到重音音节的另外一个重点 —— 音调（*tone*，[2.5.2](2.5.2-tone)）。
In the upcoming sections, we'll be covering another important aspect of stressed syllables — tone ([2.5.2](2.5.2-tone)).
不妨逐个练习一下以下常用多音节词汇，注意**重音**、**次重音**，以及**非重音**和**弱音** ə（*schwa*）：
Let's practice the pronunciation of the following commonly used multi-syllable words one by one. Pay attention to the *primary stress*, *secondary stress*, as well as *unstressed*, or *weak* ə (schwa) sounds:
> * *accommodate* əˈkɑːmədeɪt
> * *anniversary* ˌænəˈvɝːsɚi
> * *anticipate* ænˈtɪsəpeɪt
> * *appreciate* əˈpriːʃieɪt
> * *beautiful* ˈbjuːt̬əfəl
> * *celebration* ˌseləˈbreɪʃən
> * *characteristic* ˌkerəktəˈrɪstɪk
> * *communication* kəˌmjuːnəˈkeɪʃən
> * *determination* dɪˌtɝːmɪˈneɪʃən
> * *discovery* dɪˈskʌvɚi
> * *encouragement* ɪnˈkɝːɪdʒmənt
> * *entrepreneur* ˌɑːntrəprəˈnɝː
> * *environment* ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt
> * *exaggerate* ɪɡˈzædʒəreɪt
> * *examination* ɪɡˌzæməˈneɪʃən
> * *explanation* ˌekspləˈneɪʃən
> * *fascinating* ˈfæsəneɪtɪŋ
> * *government* ˈɡʌvɚnmənt
> * *hospitality* ˌhɑːspɪˈtælət̬i
> * *imagination* ɪˌmædʒəˈneɪʃən
> * *impossible* ɪmˈpɑːsəbəl
> * *incredible* ɪnˈkredəbəl
> * *independent* ˌɪndɪˈpendənt
> * *information* ˌɪnfɚˈmeɪʃən
> * *inspiration* ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃən
> * *interesting* ˈɪntrɪstɪŋ
> * *international* ˌɪnt̬ɚˈnæʃənəl
> * *knowledgeable* ˈnɑːlɪdʒəbəl
> * *opportunity* ˌɑːpɚˈtuːnət̬i
> * *personality* ˌpɝːsənˈælət̬i
> * *photography* fəˈtɑːɡrəfi
> * *professional* prəˈfeʃənəl
> * *recognition* ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃən
> * *rehabilitation* ˌriːhəˌbɪləˈteɪʃən
> * *relationship* rɪˈleɪʃənʃɪp
> * *responsibility* rɪˌspɑːnsəˈbɪlət̬i
> * *revolutionary* ˌrevəˈluːʃəneri
> * *satisfaction* ˌsæt̬ɪsˈfækʃən
> * *spectacular* spekˈtækjəlɚ
> * *temperature* ˈtempɚətʃɚ
> * *transportation* ˌtrænspɚˈteɪʃən
> * *unbelievable* ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbəl
> * *understand* ˌʌndɚˈstænd
> * *understanding* ˌʌndɚˈstændɪŋ
> * *unforgettable* ˌʌnfɚˈɡet̬əbəl
> * *university* ˌjuːnəˈvɝːsət̬i
> * *vegetarian* ˌvedʒəˈteriən
> * *vocabulary* voʊˈkæbjəleri
> * *vulnerable* ˈvʌlnɚəbəl
> * *wonderfully* ˈwʌndɚfəli
[^1]: Sound files in this list come from [CEPD online edition](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/).