Stress-shifting (fixing) suffixes

A multiplicity of derivational suffixes, when added to a root, shift the stress from its original position to the syllable immediately preceding the suffix. Below are some of the common ones in this group:

We need to point out that if the original stress is on the last syllable of the root (the syllable immediately before the suffix), no change in location of the stress will result, because it is already where it should be (e.g. divérse– divérsify, absúrd– absúrdity, obése– obésity).

There is also a group of suffixes that put the stress on the syllable immediately before them if that syllable is heavy (i.e. has branching rhyme). The suffix-al in refusal, recital, and accidental is an example of this phenomenon. The stress falls on the syllable that is immediately before the suffix, because that syllable is heavy (long vowel, diphthong, and closed syllable, respectively). However, if the syllable in question is not heavy, then the stress moves one more syllable to the left (e.g. séasonal, práctical). The same is observable in the suffix -ency of emérgency and consístency on the one hand, and présidency and cómpetency on the other. While in the first two words the stress is on the syllable immediately before the suffix (closed syllable), it falls on the syllable one more position to the left in the last two words because the syllable before the suffix is light.

It is worth pointing out that there are some other endings that seem to vacillate between the different suffix types, of which -able is a good example. This suffix behaves like stress-neutral suffixes in most cases, as in quéstion quéstionable, adóre– adórable, mánage– mánageable. However, in several disyllabic stems with final stress, it shifts the stress one syllable left (to stem initial), as in admíre– ádmirable, compáre– cómparable, prefér– préferable (however, note the more recent tendency to stress-neutral behavior, e.g. compárable, admírable). To complicate things further, -able may also shift the stress one syllable to the right, as in démonstrate– demónstrable.

Another interesting case is the -ive suffix. When added to a monosyllabic root, the stress, expectedly, is on the root (-ive cannot bear stress) as in áct - áctive. However, in words with three or more syllables, we may see the stress falling on the syllable before it (e.g. decísive, offénsive), or moving one more to the left (e.g. négative, sédative), or even to one further left (e.g. génerative , méditative). There are attempts to separate cases such as decisive, offensive, etc. from others by stating that in these the roots are preceded by prefixes. Such explanations, although historically justifiable, are very dubious synchronic ally, and will not be followed here.

We can also point out that the classification has nothing to do with the morphological division of inflectional and derivational suffixes. While the eight inflectional suffixes:

do not have any effect on the stress (i.e. the addition of these suffixes does not change the location of the stress), derivational suffixes have no such predictability. As we saw in several examples above, while they may stay neutral to the stress, e.g. bottom– bottomless [bɑ́ɾəm] – [bɑ́ɾəmləs], they can shift the stress, e.g. geography – geographic [ʤiɑ́gɹ̣əfi] – [ʤiəgɹ̣ǽfək], or even carry the stress themselves, e.g. lemon– lemonade [lέmən] – [lεmənéd].