Stress

[Edward Dumanis]

Ralph Cleminson wrote:

> > >        Hi,
> > >
> > >        Not having the needed references at hand, I am interested in the
> > >following. Where does the stress fall in the word "ponyala" (to
> > >understand, fem., past tense (sovershenny vid), sing.). Is it "pOnyala",
> > >or "ponyalA", whether both are acceptable in official speech, and which
> > >form is used colloquially and where.
> > >        I would be happy to collect opinions.
> >
> > pOnjala, bez somnenija
> >
> > Georges.
> >
> For the official version,
> Daum & Schenk (1971) give only ponjal'a.
> Avanesov (1959) gives ponjal'a and specifically marks p'onjala as
> incorrect.
>
> For the colloquial version, this is a very common word, and I cannot
> recall ever hearing it stressed anywhere but on the last syllable
> (experience mostly in Moscow oblast').
>
> R.M.Cleminson,
> Professor of Slavonic Studies,
> University of Portsmouth,
> Park Building,
> King Henry I Street,
> Portsmouth PO1 2DZ
> tel. +44 23 92 846143, fax: +44 23 92 846040
>
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Elizabeth Ginzburg wrote:

> Vykhodtsy s Ukrainy (zhivuschie v Amerike, v osobennosti!) i seichas
> govoriat  pOnjala, a v derevne pod Moskvoi - dazhe ponjAl!
> Neither the former nor the latter I believe would be a reason
> to teach our students such  forms!
> My granparents, though, used only the pOnjala form (they were from
> a "mestechko").
> In fact, only my grandparents were the people from who I heard this pOnjala. but in one village I did hear ponjalA- ponJAl.
> Liza Ginzburg
>
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Sorry for this belated message.
I hoped that somebody would pick it up but it does not seem to be the case.
As Ralph Cleminson mentions, Avanesov (1959) gives ponjal'a and specifically marks p'onjala as
incorrect. However, it means for a formal speech only since the very mark of p'onjala as incorrect indicates that sometimes it
has been used.  So, the only question is when it can be used INTENTIONALLY by a native speaker who is aware of its incorrect
usage in a formal speech.
The answer is that this shift of the stress from the "correct" usage to the "incorrect" one is done intentionally by a native
speaker to create a style of a friendly joke either just to make the response more colorful or to add an informal "of course"
meaning to the response, or both.
So,  this phenomenon of a stress shift should be clearly taken into account in order to fully understand a probable meaning of
a dialog between native speakers.
I would certainly teach this aspect of the stress shift, contrary to the opinion of Elizabeth Ginzburg,
but, of course, it is for advanced students only.

Sincerely,

Edward Dumanis <dumanis at acsu.buffalo.edu>

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