ABSTRACT
The stressed syllable is in italics. However, stress is not usually distinctive in Hindi. Therefore, whether one places stress on the first syllable or on the second, the meaning will not be affected, nor will the quality of the pronunciation of the vowel:
This tendency is different from English, where the vowel in the nonstressed syllable is reduced, such as in Alaska, where one witnesses a difference between the pronunciation of the a in the middle position (i.e. stressed syllable) and in the word-initial and final position (Le. unstressed syllables). This is why stress is not as distinctive and crucial in Hindi as in English. Therefore Hindi is often characterized as a 'syllable-timed' language like French, where the syllables are pronounced in a steady flow, resulting in a 'machine-gun' effect.
