Stress has a very important relationship with meaning, since the place of stress may alter the meaning of a word , a phrase and even a sentence. The word "addict for
example can mean " to take drugs " if its second syllable is stressed , while it means " someone who takes drugs" if its first syllable is stressed
.
stress placement , once my teacher told me , is one of two main things which distinguish native from non- native speakers of English . Incorrect placement of stress is what most non-native speakers unfortunately do. Whereas native speakers do that quite easily . That's why i think this topic should get more and more attention from teachers of English at various level