suffixes - Is there a rule for the pronunciation of words with the suffix -ative?


I have observed that there are, at least, two patterns of pronunciation for words ending in -ative:



  1. The first syllable is stressed and the suffix is pronounced as /eɪtɪv/ (e.g. qualitative)

  2. The second syllable is stressed and the suffix is pronounced as /ətɪv/ (e.g. declarative)


Is there a way (other than memorizing them all, of course) to know how a certain word ending in -ative is pronounced?



Answer



You're close. It depends on the stress of the syllable before the -ative. If there is primary or secondary stress, then you have an unstressed a in the -ative. Otherwise, the a would be stressed and get its full /ei/ sound. Note that some words have different pronunciation patterns in different dialects.



  • NA-tive (0 before)

  • cre-A-tive (weak before)

  • REL-a-tive (strong before)

  • con-SERV-a-tive (weak-strong)

  • LEG-i-SLA-tive (strong-weak)

  • RE-pre-SEN-ta-tive (strong-weak-strong)

  • ad-MIN-i-STRA-tive (weak-strong-weak) but also ad-MIN-i-stra-tive


Here is a link to all the -ative words in the COCA.


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