section_path: Phonology/Stress
section_name: Stress
paragraph_text: Stress
  
  In standard Bengali, stress is predominantly initial. Bengali words are virtually all trochaic; the primary stress falls on the initial syllable of the word, while secondary stress often falls on all odd-numbered syllables thereafter, giving strings such as in সহযোগিতা shô -hô- jo -gi- ta "cooperation", where the boldface represents primary and secondary stress.