Abstract

The present study is aimed to compare the Standard English dialect (RP) with the dialect of English spoken in Faisalabad. The comparison is based on stress, which is compared at the word level for di, tri, tetra, and pentasyllabic words. For sampling, Faisalabad's education sector is separated into two primary strata, government and private, each of which is further segmented by gender. Each stratum has a total of 20 pupils. The data was evaluated on two levels: first, the researcher's perspective, and second, acoustic evidence. The findings revealed both inter and intra dialectal differences. Variations in stress patterns have been emphasized by comparing the two dialects. The percentages of similarities and differences found in each dialect were used to calculate the results. In each group, the proportion of comparable stress patterns is around 50%. More differences have been encountered in these dialects than similarities

Key Words

Introduction

English is widely spoken around the world and is considered a global language. The modern age is a period of global communication and connection. With the increasing interconnection and globalization, a language that can be readily utilized all across the world as a global language is required. To meet this need, English has been designated as a lingua franca, and it has emerged as the most efficient means of business communication, taking the position of a commercial language that connects North and South, East and West.

Language is a system of segmental and suprasegmental elements. The segmental aspects of language, such as vowels and consonants, are explained by phonetics. The supra-segmental aspects of language, are explained by phonology, which is also known as supra-segmental features such as stress, tone, pitch, intonation, and rhythm. (Ladefoged, 1993).

 Since English serves as a bridge between native and non-native speakers, these segmental and suprasegmental elements are crucial in communicating the meaning. The importance of segmental and supra-segmental features in communication is significant as they explain the emotional and behavioral implications of any language. (CelceMurcia, Brinton, & Goodwin, 1996). Moreover, the correct pronunciation is also determined by sound recognition, the placement of stress patterns, and other supra-segmental characteristics which is a significant yet critical aspect of any language. (Huwari, & Mehawesh, 2015). 

English is utilized as a lingua franca over the world, past study has determined that the English language lacks a set stress pattern, which is a source of learners producing incorrect stress patterns, as well as ambiguity in expressing meaning in oral communication (Ur, 2003). In the English language, stress serves a variety of purposes. The grammatical and pragmatic functions of lexicons are explained by stress. It also affects the sound and classification of words. It expresses the message as speakers' reactions at various points during speeches (Celce-Murcia et al., 1996).

 Pakistan is a huge country with a varied spectrum of languages and dialects due to its area and population. Each of the provinces of Pakistan has its mother tongue. As a result, each province has its unique speech pattern, and this accent influences their second language. Faisalabad is one of the most populous cities in Punjab and the third-largest city in Pakistan where English is extensively spoken as an official and second language. Punjabi is mostly spoken as a first language, which influences second language acquisition. According to the notion of global Englishes, this dialect of English has several distinguishing characteristics that set it apart from other dialects spoken in other provinces. This study has been conducted to investigate the characteristics of the Faisalabad English dialect by comparing it to RP and determining how much this dialect differs from RP based on supra-segmental features. This dialect's characteristics were compared to native accents using an acoustic comparison.




Objectives of the Study 

The following objectives have been specified for this study to achieve the desired outcomes.

i. To explore stress patterns inherent in this dialect 

ii. To compare the stress patterns of the Faisalabad dialect of English to those of the standard English dialect




Research Questions

1. What are the prominent stress patterns in the English dialect of Faisalabad? 

a. What is the stress pattern in di-syllabic words?

b. What is the stress pattern in tri-syllabic words?

c. What are the stress patterns in tetra-syllabic words?

d. What are the stress patterns in pentasyllabic words?

2. How is the English dialect of Faisalabad similar to or different from RP in terms of stress?

Literature Review

Languages are subjected to acoustic analysis at various levels to determine their distinguishing characteristics. Acoustic analysis is used to investigate the distinctive properties of dialects because English is a lingua Franca. As a result, the impact of other languages on its accent is investigated using segmental and suprasegmental elements.




Acoustic Analysis of Different Languages 

An acoustic study of the vowels was performed to distinguish between different dialects of the Macedonian language. The vowels "y" and "e" are distinct in Bitola and Stumica dialects, according to this research (Ristova & Gerazov; 2013). The Siwu language is analyzed acoustically. Four distinct heights of vowels were discovered as a result of the investigation. The difference in height between front and back vowels follows a systematic pattern, with front vowels being somewhat taller than rear vowels. Vowel analysis is also carried out using two distinct dialects (Akpafu and Lolobi). An acoustic investigation of Mandarin language at the lexical tone level in infant speech was done in previous research by several researchers. Mandarin is a tonal Chinese language. Infant-directed speech (IDS) has been studied in this study, which is the speech style used by adults while talking to newborns. (Ferguson, 1964; Fernald & Simon, 1984; Snow, 1972; Stern, Spieker, & Mackain, 1982).




Acoustic Analysis of Pakistani Languages

Corner vowels have been analyzed acoustically in six distinct Pakistani aboriginal languages. In this study, vocalic variants in Pakistan's national language, Urdu, were discovered. Because Urdu is generally spoken as a second or third language in Pakistan (Rehman, 2002). As a result, the influence of one's original language is a major factor in vocalic variety in Urdu. At the vowel nasalization level, an acoustic study of Punjabi was performed. This research was based on the idea of a nasalizing influence on Majhi Punjabi speakers' vowels during speech production in Lahore. Nasalization of vowels is a feature that practically every language has, however, the opening of the pharyngeal walls and velum varies from language to language and speaker to speaker (Beddor, 1993). The Sindhi language has been subjected to an acoustic investigation. 

According to Garrison (as stated in Allana, 1996), there are six primary dialects of Sindhi, including Vicholi (central Sindh dialect), which is considered the mainstream dialect in Sindhi, and Utradi (Northern), Lari, Lasi, Kachchi, and Thareli. The major goal of this study is to look at the phonetics and phonology of the "Ultra" (Northern) dialect, which is extensively spoken in upper Sindh. The following are the findings of this study: In comparison to English, the stress structure of Sindhi is based on the so-called heavy syllabus (Abbasi & Hussain, 2015; Abbasi, 2017; Abbasi et al. (2017)). Abbasi has also noticed that the size of the syllable (light vs. heavy) is a tiny but significant element of Sindhi stress perception.




Acoustic Analysis of Lingua Franca 

The accent of a second language is influenced by the native speakers of other languages. Research on native speakers of several languages has shown the reasons behind this phenomenon. The production of unstressed vowels by late and early Korean and Japanese bilinguals is studied using an acoustic study of the English language. This analysis was carried out to examine the accents of second language speakers, which must be accurate to learn a second language's accent. The major focus of this study is a comparison of how early and late second language learners of Korean and Japanese native speakers pronounce stressed and unstressed vowels. Based on the findings of this study, it can be stated that early learners have a distinct influence on their first language, which has a significant impact on their second language learning. The findings of this study back up the claim that when learning a language for the first time, the formation of L1 becomes a barrier to learning a second language, L2 (Bialystok, 1997; Flege, 1999; Oyama, 1979)

An acoustic comparative study was conducted between the pronunciation of vowels by native English speakers and Arabic language speakers. Because both languages' short and long vowels are similar, there is no difference in the pronunciation of some tense-lax vowels, but there is a difference in the pronunciation of back and central vowels. Another research examined the acoustic analysis of Indonesian people's production of English oral vowels. Iverson and Evans (2007, p. 2842) found that learners of various native languages look for English vowels independently rather than mixing the rules in their original tongue. They also have difficulties pronouncing vowel sounds that are different from those in their mother tongue. Based on vowel articulation, a comparison of American English and Chinese was done in Taiwan. For this study, two pairs of identical vowels were chosen. Both natives produced the same vowels at the same time, and the variances were recorded. Because of the differences in vowel heights and fronts, the results reveal that Chinese English and American English have different accents.




Acoustic Analysis of English Dialects Based on Supra Segmental Features 

Based on acoustic features, discrimination between British, Australian, and American accents has been carried out. The process of speech discrimination is divided into two parts: phonetic difference and acoustic difference. The features to be noticed during analysis include duration, speaking pace, pitch, pitch dropping, and formants. In comparison to the other two accents, the Australian accent has a lower first formant (F1) but a greater second formant (F2), according to the findings. The pitch frequency, initial rise, and ultimate fall of utterances are all higher in the British accent. In comparison to other accents, the Australian accent has a noticeable expansion in vowel production and the lowest speaking speed. 

Research Methodology

The purpose of this study is to compare the supra-segmental characteristics of the Faisalabad dialect of English with the British standard dialect.

The population is divided into two categories. The first is group A, which consists of RP speakers. The second group, known as group B, is made up of English speakers from Faisalabad.

For comparative analysis, data of native English speakers (group A) has been taken from the following internet resources:

? Oxford Online English

? Pronunciation with Emma

? ETJ English

? English Addict

? The British Accent Guy 

The data from group B was collected using a stratified random sampling approach. Strata are formed by separating the education sector into two primary groups: public and private. Twenty participants were chosen from each category, and they were further divided by gender into male and female categories. Students ranging in age from 16 to 22 years old were included in the sample, which comprised students from grade 10 to masters.

The sample selected is restricted to

1. The participants have the citizenship of Faisalabad by domicile.

2. The participants must not have stayed in any other country or visited any other city of Pakistan for a long duration.

3. The participants must have gotten complete education from Faisalabad city. 

For this research, 15 words have been chosen for analysis from five syllabic categories: mono, di, tri, tetra, and Penta, with three words from each group. The major data for this study is gathered from downloaded audio files and audio speech recordings. All files were converted to mp3 format before being converted to .wav and .mono formats.

In a noise-free laboratory setting, voice samples from Faisalabad participants were taken using a microphone with a frequency range of 65Hz-18 kHz and a signal/noise ratio of 74dB SPL. MP3 files are used to store their recordings. Using PRAAT version 6.1.27, these files are subsequently converted to.wav and .mono formats. These converted value files were stored, and codes were assigned to them based on the categories of participants and data type. Wave surfer version 1.8.8p5 was used to analyze data.

Data Analysis

The energy with which a word or syllable is pronounced is represented by stress. Various groups of words have different stress patterns depending on the dialects and pronunciations. This characteristic of stress is crucial because altering the stress pattern on two syllables of the same word changes the category of the word. The following analysis depicts the stress patterns of the students of Faisalabad in comparison with the British accent (RP). The graphical representations of stress patterns are also given below to strengthen the evidence regarding the distinguishing features of both dialects. 




Stress on Mono-Syllabic Words 

Monosyllabic words are those words with only one syllable in their formation. As a result, the stress pattern has been seen to be nearly the same across students from both the public and private sectors, with no evidence of gender discrimination. The stress is on the first letter of the word in such terms. When compared to a British accent, both audition and acoustic evidence yielded nearly identical findings.




Stress Patterns on Di-Syllabic Words

Male of the Private Sector

The analysis of stress patterns in Di-syllabic words has been analyzed by examining the pronunciations of three selected words. "Person, breakfast money" are the di-syllabic words chosen for examination. The first syllable is stressed in these three terms. However, the results of both auditory perceptions and acoustic evidence revealed that most students emphasized the second syllable rather than the first. The first syllable of the word "person" is stressed by nearly 80% of males in the private sector, whereas the second syllable is emphasized by 20%. 

Figure 1

First Syllable Stress vs Second Syllable Stress in Di-syllabic Words in the English Dialect of Faisalabad in the Private Male Sector.



The diagram above depicts the variation in stress between the first and second syllables. The stress on the first syllable is shown in Figure (a). The loudness and duration of stress are measured by the software. In fig. (a), the first syllable "per" has a time duration of 0:20.3 to 0:20.6 whereas the second syllable "son" has a time duration of 0:20.6 to 0:20.8. This proves that the first syllable bears the stress since it has a longer time duration than the second syllable.

  Fig. (b) Shows that the first syllable has a time duration of 12.1 to 12.3, whereas the second syllable has a time duration of 12.3 to 12.6. This demonstrates that a syllable with a longer time length duration conveys the stress. As a result, it can be seen that the second syllable is stressed in the second fig (b). 

50% of participants place stress on the second syllable of the second word "breakfast." Whereas, 20%, have uttered this word with the first syllable stressed, the remaining 30% of participants have uttered this term with the same stress on both syllables.

Figure 2

First Syllable Stress vs Second Syllable Stress in Di-syllabic Words in the English Dialect of Faisalabad in the Private Male Sector.



Figure (a) demonstrates that usually both syllables in the second word are stressed equally by the participants. As a result, the time it takes to utter the syllables is remarkably similar. The first syllable is uttered in the time range 12.2(12) to 12.5(1/2), while the second syllable is uttered in the range 12.5(1/2) to 12.8. The same amount of time is spent on both syllables, indicating the same emphasis. The first syllable in fig (b) is uttered between 10.4(1/2) and 10.7(1/2), while the second syllable is uttered between 12.7(1/2) and 11.2. however, it can be seen that the second syllable is stressed, as the time duration of the second syllable is longer than the first syllable.

 The analysis of the stress patterns in the third word ‘money’ shows that 30% of participants stressed the first syllable of the word ‘money’. Whereas 70% of participants have made a louder sound to stress the second syllable, the first syllable is uttered rapidly and therefore has no loudness. 

Figure 3

First Syllable Stress vs Second Syllable Stress in Di-syllabic Words in the English Dialect of Faisalabad in the Private Male Sector.



Male of Government Sector

The distinction between stress syllables in the male participants of the government sector is illustrated in the graph above. In fig. (a), the stressed syllable "mo" has a greater time duration of 13.2 to 13. (3½), whereas the second syllable "ney" has a time duration of 13. (3 1/2) to 13. (4 1/2). In fig. (b), the second syllable is stressed more than the first. The first syllable lasts 9.9 to 10.0 seconds, whereas the second persists 10.0 to 10.3. This finding indicates that participants stressed the second syllable while uttering the word this word. 

The analysis of the second word ‘person’ shows that many government-sector students pronounce the initial word "person" with stress on the first syllable. Approximately 70% of male participants from the government sector have stressed the first syllable. However, the remaining 20% have not uttered a single stressed syllable. It has been observed that 10% of the participants have stressed the second syllable while pronouncing this word. 

It is evident from the results of the third word "breakfast" that 50% of students have stressed the second syllable while pronouncing this word. However, 30 % pronounced it with the stress on the first syllable. Moreover, 20% of the participants have exceptionally uttered the word by stressing both first and second syllables. The results of the third word "money," reveal a 70:30 ratio for the stress patterns. Almost 70% of participants have uttered this word with the first syllable stressed, while the remaining 30% have stressed the second syllable.




Female of Private Sector

The graphs for the first word "person" reveal that 60% of females from the private sector pronounce the word with the second syllable stressed. The fact that 20% of females stressed the first syllable and 20% pronounced it unusually suggests that the numbers in these cases are not significant. The majority of the females from the private sector pronounce the word ‘person’ with stress on the second syllable. 

The graphs for the second word "breakfast" demonstrate that 80% of the females stressed the second syllable whereas only 20% of females stressed the first syllable while pronouncing the word breakfast. According to the evidence of the third world, 80% of females stressed the first syllable and 20% of females have pronounced it with the stress on the second syllable.




Female of Govt. Sector

The results of the first di-syllabic word "person" demonstrate that 80% of female participants pronounced it with the first syllable stressed. Only 20% of females have uttered the word with the second syllable stressed. While the findings of the second word "breakfast" demonstrate that 40% of the females have stressed the first syllable whereas, 50% have stressed the second syllable. There are several exceptional cases found in the females, which do not clearly state which syllable is stressed or whether both syllables have the same stress. All females in the government sector stress the first syllable of the third word in the di-syllabic category "money."




Stress Patterns on Tri-syllabic Words

Tri-syllabic words are those words that have three syllables. Three words were chosen in this study to investigate the stress patterns in this group of terms: ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Expensive’, and ‘Employee’. In tri-syllabic words, stress can fall on either of the first, second, or third syllables. The second syllable of the words chosen for this study is stressed. However, the third word, "employee," can be pronounced in two ways, with the second syllable stressed or with the third syllable stressed. Different outcomes have been obtained from the analysis of these words, which are discussed in detail in each category.




Male of Private Sector

By examining the findings of males from the private sector, it was found out that majority of them pronounced the word "tomorrow" with the stress on the second syllable. By comparing graphic evidence with auditory perceptions, it was discovered that 70% of participants in the private sector stressed the second syllable when pronouncing the term whereas, 20% of students stressed the first syllable, and 10% of the students reflect an atypical situation where the third syllable is stressed. 

The results of the second word ‘Expensive’ indicate that 50 % of students stressed the second syllable, whereas the remaining 40% mostly stressed the third syllable. The remaining 10% have been extremely stressing the word while pronouncing it. The accent on the second or third syllable in the third word ‘employee’ can be perceived in two ways. If it is considered that the term "employee" has primary stress on the second syllable, 90% of male participants who belong to the private sector have stressed the second syllable. The remaining 10% have stressed the third syllable.




Male of Govt. Sector

According to the results, 70% of males in the government sector stressed the second syllable when pronouncing the term ‘Tomorrow’. Only 30% of participants have pronounced the third syllable with stress. However, the analysis of the second word ‘expensive’ shows that 80% of male participants from the Government sector have stressed the second syllable while uttering this word. On the other hand, 10% of students in this group stressed the third syllable. The graphs of the pronunciation patterns of the second word ‘expensive’ show that, from all the male participants of the government sector, only 10% have stressed the first syllable of the word. The analysis of the stress patterns of the third word "employee" demonstrate that 90% of participants stress the second syllable while pronouncing this word whereas,10% of participants have stressed the third syllable.




Female of the Private Sector

The analysis of the first tri-syllabic word ‘tomorrow’ in female participants of the private sector shows that 50 % of participants stress the second syllable of the first word "tomorrow." The second syllable was stressed by 10% of females who studied in the private sector, whereas the third syllable was stressed by 40%. However, one instance is distinguished because the female has stressed the first syllable of the word tomorrow. The results of the stress patterns of the second word ‘expensive’ show that 80% of females pronounce the second word "expensive" with the second syllable stressed. On the other hand, 20% of females have stressed the third syllable. The situation differs in the graphs of the third word "employee." The initial syllable of this term has been stressed by the female. The first syllable was stressed by 50% of females, whereas the third syllable was stressed by 10%. The remaining 40% have stressed the second syllable.




Female of Govt. Sector

According to audio recordings and graphic evidence, 80 percent of females stress the second syllable of the first word "tomorrow." Only 20% of females have stressed the third syllable.

80 percent of government females had stressed the second syllable when speaking the second word. 20% of the instances are found to be unique. The second and third syllables of the word "expensive" are both stressed. According to the results of the third world, 10% of the females stressed the third syllable while the rest stressed the second.




Stress Patterns on Tetra-Syllabic Words

The words "information," "photography," and "political" were chosen for this research to examine students' accents and intensity to track stress patterns. The second and third syllables of selected nouns are stressed in these terms respectively.




Male of Private Sector

The analysis shows that 60% of male participants of the private sector have stressed the third syllable in the first word ‘information’. However, 30% of male participants stressed the second syllable, whereas 10 percent stressed the first syllable. The analysis of the second word shows that only 10% of students stressed the second syllable of the second word, "photographer," whereas the remaining students stressed the fourth syllable, "pher." The third word, "politician," is pronounced with the stress on the third syllable, whereas, 70% of private-sector males stress the first and final syllable, while 30% placed stress on the third syllable.




Male of Govt. Sector

According to the results of males in the government sector, 50% of students stressed the third syllable in the first tetra-syllabic word, 40% stressed the second syllable, and 10% stressed the first syllable. The next word, "photography," is stressed by 60% on the third syllable, and 40% have stressed exceptionally, with 10% stressing the second, 10% stressing the fourth, and 10% uttering it without any clear pattern. The third syllable of the last tetra-syllabic word "politician" is only 20% stressed. The first syllable was stressed by 60% of males, whereas the fourth syllable was stressed by 20%.




Female of the Private Sector

According to the results of this section, 70% of the females pronounce the term with stress on the third syllable. The remaining 30% has stressed the second one. 50% of female participants stress the second syllable of the second word "photographer," whereas the remaining 50% stress the second and fourth syllables. The first syllable of the term "politician" was stressed by 90% of the girls. The remaining 10% stressed the word on the third syllable.




Female of Govt. Sector

The ratio of 70 to 30 in stressing the third and second syllables in the first tetra-syllabic word "information" can be seen in this section. The second-word study reveals that 50% of the females stressed the second syllable of the word "photography." The remaining 50% stressed the third syllable. Aside from that, there are no notable exceptions. In both sectors of females, the findings of third word pronunciation are the same. The first syllable of the term "politician" was similarly stressed by 90% of government sector females. Only 10% of participants have stressed the third syllable.




Stress Patterns in Penta-Syllabic Words

Penta-syllabic words have five syllables and may be pronounced by stressing on any syllable. The terms "university, possibility, and uncomfortable" were chosen for analysis. Divergent findings are obtained by examining the data acquired by different categories of participants.




Male of the Private Sector

The results show that 40% of male participants from the private sector stressed the third syllable while pronouncing "university." It has been noted that syllables in pentasyllabic words have been shortened while pronouncing. It signifies that pentasyllabic words were changed to a tetra-syllabic words by missing one syllable during pronunciation. As a result, in some situations of pentasyllabic words, the acoustic evidence does not make sense. The first word is spoken by 60% of the male from the private sector, who stressed different syllables. The second word is spoken in the same way as 40% of participants stressed the third syllable; however, the remaining 60% of participants have stressed the first syllable of the word "possibility."

The third word in this category is "uncomfortable," which has been stressed by 70% of respondents at the fourth syllable's end. Only 20% of students stressed the second syllable. 10% of participants have pronounced the term "exceptionally" without placing any stress on it. The auditory impression of this pentasyllabic phrase reveals that it is pronounced slowly and without any stress on any syllable, and the graphic values reveal that all of the syllables have almost the same stress.




Male of Govt. Sector

The analysis shows that many of the participants (70 percent) have stressed the third syllable of the first pentasyllabic word ‘university’, but their auditory recordings demonstrate that they have not uttered the word with accurate pronunciation. The first syllable has been stressed by the remaining 30%.

By analyzing the stress patterns of the second word 'possibility', it can be seen that 70% of participants have stressed the first syllable in the second word. The third syllable of this word was stressed by 30% of students. The third word, 'uncomfortable,' is similarly stressed on the first syllable by 60% of students. In the remaining 40% of participants, 20% have stressed the fourth syllable and 20% have stressed the first syllable. In the third world, 30% of students have stressed the word's fourth syllable. 10% of students pronounced the term with stress on the second syllable, while 60% of students have stressed the first syllable.




Female of the Private Sector

The collected data from private sector females in the form of pentasyllabic words is examined, and various results are produced. The findings of each word have been displayed in graphs based on auditory impressions, which are explored in depth.

The results show that 60% of females from the private sector have pronounced the first pentasyllabic word "university" with stress on the third syllable, whereas the first syllable was stressed by 40% of the remaining females. The second word 'possibility' analysis shows that 60% of females stressed the second syllable while pronouncing the word "possibility." The remaining 40% have varying stress patterns on the various syllables. Some females have stressed the first syllable, while others have stressed the fifth. Moreover, the analysis of the third word ‘uncomfortable’ shows that 80% of females stressed the first syllable while uttering this word, on the other hand, the second and fourth syllables were stressed by the remaining 20% of female participants.




Female of Govt. Sector

The analysis of the first word ‘university’ in the females of the Government sector shows that 70% of females placed stress on the third syllable of the term. The females were observed stressing the third syllable, but they were pronouncing it incorrectly. The first and fourth syllables are stressed in the remaining 30%. However, 70% of students stressed the first syllable of the second word, "possibility." The third syllable is stressed by 30% of those who pronounce it. Most people (60%) have stressed the first syllable in the third word "uncomfortable." In the other 40% of occurrences, the stress is on the second and fourth syllables.

Comparison of Dialect of Faisalabad’s English with RP in Words’ Stress

There are two primary English accents, British and American, that are mostly concentrated around the globe. The British accent, known as RP, is widely used in Pakistan. Received pronunciation is abbreviated as RP. It is a common dialect of the English language in the United Kingdom. However, English is utilized as a Lingua Franca all over the world. As a result, each country has its norms regarding the usage of the English language. According to studies, the mother tongue has a significant impact on the acquisition of a second language. This point is also covered in depth in the literature review.

Almost every country has its dialect of the language that is spoken in one country which has an impact on the accent of a second language as well. The notion of World Englishes has partially solved the problem. All dialects are acceptable in the English language, according to the word Englishes. To assess the stress patterns, fifteen words were chosen. There are fifteen terms separated into five groups, each with three instances. The British stress patterns in these fifteen words are illustrated below. According to the RP accent, all stressed syllables are bold.




 

Table 1. Stressed Syllables in Received Pronunciation

Categories of Words	Stress on Syllable
Mono-syllabic words	girl	fast	Work
Di-syllabic words	Person	Breakfast	Money
Tri-syllabic words	Tomorrow	Expensive	Employee
Tetra-syllabic words	Information	Photographer	Politician
Penta-syllabic words	University	Possibility	Uncomfortable

 




Similarities and Differences between Stress Patterns of RP and Faisalabad Dialect

When comparing RP to Faisalabad's dialect, students have stressed the same syllable as in RP, but the accent and method of pronouncing the word are considerably different from RP, resulting in a difference in graphic representations of words in both dialects. In comparison to RP, Faisalabad's dialect of English has several similarities and differences. In the case of a third tri-syllabic word, the same word might be pronounced differently depending on whether the second or third syllable is stressed. In this study, the RP accent stresses the third syllable of the word "employee," whereas all students stress the second syllable, as shown in the graph.

Figure 4

Comparison of Stressed Syllable in Tri-syllabic Word in Faisalabad’s Dialect of English with RP

By comparing the graphs of both dialects difference is found which clearly can be seen in visual graphic evidence. The word photographer contains stress on the second syllable while fig (a) is not showing four syllables on the graph. The graph is not showing any specific pattern. 

Figure 5

Comparison of the Pentasyllabic Word in RP and Faisalabad’s Dialect of English



The similarities and differences have been summarized in tabular form, according to the ratio of students, who have stressed the syllables similar or different than RP. There are some exceptional cases too which show unclear results.




 

Table 2. Percentage of Results in Di-syllabic Words

Educational Sector	Similar to RP	Different from RP	Unclear
Private boys	43%	46.66%	10%
Government boys	56.66%	30%	13.33%
Private girls	40%	53.33%	6.66%
Government girls	73.33%	23.33%	3.33%

 

Table 3. Percentage of Results in Tri-syllabic Words

Educational Sector	Similar to RP	Different from RP	Unclear
Private boys	70%	23.33%	6.66%
Government boys	80%	16.66%	3.33%
Private girls	60%	33.33%	6.66%
Government girls	56.66%	16.66%	26.66%

 

Table 4. Percentage of Results in Tetra-syllabic Words

Educational Sector	Similar to RP	Different from RP	Unclear
Private boys	33.33%	33.33%	33.33%
Government boys	43.33%	36.66%	20%
Private girls	26.66%	26.66%	46.66%
Government girls	43.33%	26.33%	30%

 

Table 5. Percentage of Results in Penta-syllabic Words

Educational Sector	Similar to RP	Different from RP	Unclear
Private boys	33.33%	43.33%	23.33%
Government boys	36.66%	63.33%	0%
Private girls	26.66%	73.33%	0%
Government girls	46.66%	53.33%	0%




Exceptional cases describe the students with ambiguous stress patterns. Students have not stressed any specific syllable in the pronunciation of some words.

 

Overview of Faisalabad’s Dialect

The acquired outcomes of di-syllabic words are not emphasized as RP in this study. Certain students have properly stressed some words from each group. However, the same student did not pronounce the other term in the same way as RP. This demonstrates that either the students of Faisalabad do not understand the notion of stress in pronunciation or they correctly stress a few phrases that they heard frequently in RP accent. Some students have stressed all three terms in this group in the same way that RP has. However, no significant differences can be detected in either of the two educational sectors.

There is no discrimination based on gender. All the govt. females, like RP, utter the third word of the di-syllabic categories, "money." This is a one-of-a-kind outcome with a 100 percent ratio. Except for this, no other category has shown a 100 percent match with RP patterns. If private-sector male students pronounce some words, they lack behind government students in other terms when it comes to following RP patterns. The results of the females are also in line. the comparison based on gender, it has been found that there is no evident discrimination in both genders. If males outperform females in the pronunciation of one word, then females outperform males in the pronunciation of any other word.

 Each remaining category of uttering the words with correct stress has a nearly equal number of students. Which has been well explained above. Minor differences have been discovered in the ratio of spoken words by evaluating intra dialectal variance using stress patterns, but no large differences have been discovered in any category.

Multi-syllabic words include tri, tetra, and pentasyllabic words. Their results in following RP accent are likewise not 100 percent correct. Students frequently stressed the second last syllable of words, which makes little sense in some circumstances. For example, in a pentasyllabic word, the fourth syllable is stressed, as seen in the graph.

Figure 6

Comparison of a Stressed Fourth Syllable in a Pentasyllabic Word



It is also pointed out from audio recordings that the students did not know the pronunciation of words but stressed the correct syllable e.g; the word "possibility" and "university" is commonly pronounced with 

The stress on the third syllable but with wrong pronunciation. 

In tetra and pentasyllabic words, it seems that students have skipped the syllables and contracted the words.

Figure 7

Contracted Syllables in a Pentasyllabic Word



There is some ambiguity in auditory perception and graphic evidence to determine which syllable is stressed in some circumstances. It appears that two separate syllables are stressed at the same time in some circumstances. Their graphs similarly show no discernible change, and their frequency values are nearly identical, making it difficult to determine which syllable is more stressed.

All of the phenomena highlighted about multi-syllabic words may be found in practically all four types of students. There is no significant difference in the pronunciation of males in the public or private sectors, nor is there any difference based on gender. females, on the other hand, have spoken several words differently than males.

Results are summarized, and the average ratio of students has been found in following the RP patterns, and the ratio of students also has been shown which has given unclear results.




 

Table 6. Overall Average Results of Stress Patterns in the English Dialect of Faisalabad

Educational Sector	Similarities	Differences	Exceptional Cases
Private boys	44.9975%	36.6625%	18.33%
Government boys	54.1625%	36.6625%	9.0825%
Private girls	38.33%	46.6625%	14.995%
Government girls	54.995%	79.6525%	59.99%

Conclusion

To achieve the goals of this study, stress patterns were analyzed in the Faisalabad dialect, and the results were compared to RP stress patterns. To answer the first question, the data analysis revealed that monosyllabic words comprise only one syllable and have the same stress patterns as RP. In di-syllabic words, the results demonstrate that some students stressed the other syllable, and in certain situations, both syllables were probably stressed in the same manner. Many participants have been seen to pronounce similar stress patterns. Only a few participants have stressed the syllables in multi-syllabic terms in the same way that British students do. However, most participants have placed greater stress on the other syllables than on the RP accent. The findings demonstrate that not a single student has uttered the words with the same pattern as RP.

The obtained results show that not a single student has uttered all the words with the same stress pattern as RP.

The findings for the second question of this were quantified in percentages to highlight the similarities and differences with RP. The ratio of exceptional cases in stressing has also been obtained. Several similarities have been found in the stress patterns of many students. The students have been seen to skip syllables and mispronounce many words yet stress them appropriately.

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