rules determining stress in a language concern theinterface between these twostructures: howa segmental structureis
fit to an acceptable metrical grid.
Let us explore the character of this interface a little. Thefirst principle of the interface is that every syllable is matched
toanxinthelowestlayer ofthegrid. This matchingis notatedin(1)bythe“association lines”; itcould alternativelybe
notated by co-subscripting, as in the matching of phonology to syntax.^50 A second principle is a strong tendency
(universally)for“heavy”syllables(syllableswitheither a coda or a longvowel)tobeassociatedwithrelativestress. This
principle is most easily seen in words with a lot of syllables, for example (6).
(6)
x
xx
xx xxx
Mo-nong-a-he-laThis has alternating stress, in conformance with principle (4); the second and fourth syllables, whichare heavy, receive
heavier stress. In addition, in order to avoid stress clash in the middle layer of stress, either the second or fourth
syllable must have an extra stress. The decision between these two is made by another formation rule for metrical
grids, one specific to English, which stipulates a preference for the right-hand member of the pair to get the heavier
stress. (Other languages, for instance Hungarian, invariably put the heaviest stress on the left.)
A well-known case involving a more complex interaction is shown in (7).
Both syllables of the wordfourteenare heavy, so the principles matching syllable weight to grids do not decide where
heavier stress should be placed. Hence the preference inEnglish for right-hand stress makes the decision shown in
(7a). However, whenfourteenis placed adjacenttomen, the resulting grid has a stress clash, circled in (7b). The strongly
preferredstress pattern(7c)overridestheright-hand principleforfourteeninorder topreservetherhythmofalternating
stress.
The negotation can also go the other way: syllabification can adjust to stress. Compare the syllabification ofMississippi
andMissouri.
THE PARALLEL ARCHITECTURE 113
(^50) In Fig. 1.1, the association is notated simply letting the as stand for the lowest layer ofxs.