While this question is about the English language, it is also about all other languages:
There's a classification of stress patterns in languages whereby languages are one of two possible types.
One type is when there's a very regular stress pattern -- I think each syllable has similar stress. I think Slavic languages are in this category.
And the other type is where there's more variation in stress. English and lots of other Western European languages in this category.
I can't remember the terminology for this. What's the terminology to denote the language type according to this classification?