Word Stress/Accent:
In ME and NE word stress acquired greater positions freedom and greater role in word derivation.
Recessive tendency – stress in loan-words moved closer to the beginning of the word (e.g. in French words the stress is usually placed on the ultimate or pen-ultimate syllable, but the stress in the words of the French origin that penetrated into English has moved to the beginning of the word).
E.g. ME vertu [ver’tju:] – NE virtue [‘vç:t∫ə]
Rhythmic tendency – regular alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables (3 or more) that creates rhythm and has led to the appearance of the secondary stress.
E.g. ME diso’beien – NE ,diso’bei