Many English words have a schwa. It often occurs in words with affixation and a shift in stress. The stressed syllable of the base becomes unstressed following affixation. This creates an environment in which the schwa can appear.
The following list illustrates the process:
able ability
access accessible
athlete athletic
biology biological
drama dramatic
economy economic
excel excellent
office official
solid solidify
vary variety
In the word athlete, the first vowel is a low front vowel. However, in the word athletic, it becomes a schwa. In the word excel, the second vowel is a mid front unrounded vowel, but in the word excellent, the second vowel is a schwa. The stress shift that occurs with affixation allows the schwa to surface.
The examples illustrate that the schwa is often realized in words with affixation and stress shift. In the words from the list, the stress shifts to the following syllable in nine words. In the case of excel/excellent, it shifts to the preceding syllable. The result is that the syllable which is stressed in the base becomes unstressed after affixation and the vowel then becomes a schwa. This is an example of a vowel weakening process.
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