1. vowel digraphs + rhythm and stress; -ian

-aian Gha-'na-ian

-bian a-ra-bian
-cian ma-'gi-cian
-dian a-'cca-dian empire, 'me-dian

-eian ple-'be-ian

-fian 'ri-ffian,
-gian theo-'lo-gian, 'geor-gian

-hian, -thian 'py-thian, ,lab-y-'rin-thian (cluster)

-jian 'fi-jian
-kian pick-'wi-ckian, ken-'tu-ckian, la-'mar-ckian (cluster)
-lian rep-'ti-lian, e-,pis-co-'pa-lian
-mian ,ac-a-'de-mian, ,pol-y-'ga-mian, ba-'ha-mian
-nian i-'ra-nian, es-'to-nian

-oian ,I-lli-'no-ian

-pian u-'to-pian
-qian
-rian bar-'ba-rian, gre-'go-rian
-sian asian, indonesian, ambrosian
-tian christian, venetian, mauritian, martian (cluster), kantian (cluster), laotian

-uian algonquian, conquian

-vian avian

-wian malawian

-xian marxian (cluster)

-yian

-zian leibi-'ni-zian, ,ab-'kha-zian


a,e,i,o,u: vowels
h,y,w: glides
l,r: semi vowels
m,n,l,r: sonorants, along with vowels

hypothesis 1: alternate the stress

hypothesis 2: vowel + sonorant ~ treat as long

hypothesis 3: start from the right to figure out the stress pattern

hypothesis 4: push a consonant to the onset of the unstressed syllable when this sits left to a virtual stressed syllable (-an/-al/-ar/-am or vowel + sonorant)

hypothesis 5-1: when a, e, i, o, u occur in stressed syllables without a coda consonant, they will have the following phonetic realizations


a = BAY
e = BEET
i = BIT
o = BOAT
u = LOOT or MUTE

hypothesis 5-2: when a, e, i, o, u occur in stressed syllables with a coda consonant, they will have the following phonetic output

a = BAT
e = BET
i = BIT
o = BOT
u = BUT




hypothesis 6: stressed syllables attract at least one consonant to its coda in the higher register. In lower register, it attracts a consonant cluster as long as this cluster follows the phonotactic constraints.


Using these 6 hypoheses, you can explain the stress pattern of -ian pattern.

if you treat -ia- in -ian as a single syllable, the stress falls on the penult. However, if you go thru the above explanation, it is ante-penult (3rd from the -an, treating -i- as a unstressed syllable with the consonant left to "i"). This hidden ante-penult pattern fits best with the meter of the spoken english