Most two- and three-syllable Words have the stress on the first syllable. Thus we correctly say
EXquisite, not exQUIsite. Many four-syllable Words, too, are accented that way: FORmidable, not forMIDable; EVidently, not eviDENTly. Basically, English "tries" to put the stress on the first syllable of all Words, but four-from-the-end is as far as it can get. Most of the two-, three- and four-syllable Words that are not accented on the first syllable are foreign in origin ( like piANist - not PEEanist! ) except for the compound prepositions that are commonly accented on the second syllable. For example aBOVE and beLOW, but not OVer and UNder.
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