unstressed

Initial h before unstressed vowels is only pronounced when preceded by a pause.

Began: notice the quality of the vowel in the first, unstressed syllable of this word.

You use more force for the stressed than for the unstressed vowels, that is to say, you put more breath into them.

The monotony of a series of stressed or of unstressed sounds would be unbearable.

Here the assonance is -er (final unstressed -er in standard present-day English represents vocalic r).