The authorities always know best

[Walt Richmond]

I’ve always had a similar question with Планерная Район in Moscow. The
subway announces the stop as Планёрная, yet all the people I know who have
lived in there for a long time pronounce it Планерная, with the stress on
the first syllable.


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*From:* SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU] *On Behalf Of *John Dunn
*Sent:* Friday, May 16, 2014 6:44 AM
*To:* SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
*Subject:* [SEELANGS] The authorities always know best



Those who have been following events in Слов'янськ/Славянск, and especially
those who have had occasion to travel on the main-line railway that passes
throughout the town, may have paused to wonder where the stress lies.  An
authoritative answer of sorts has now been posted on the gramota.ruweb-site:

http://gramota.ru/lenta/news/8_2922

This is the sort of authoritative answer that raises more questions than it
resolves.  The gist is that the inhabitants put the stress on the first
syllable (which is what I remember hearing), but back in 1960 the head of
the broadcasting pronunciation in Kiev decreed that the stress should be on
the second syllable and this has remained the recommended version.



Curiously I can think of a similar case in England.  The inhabitants of
Shrewsbury (or many of them at least) pronounce the first syllable as
[Shrooze], while the BBC generally insists on [Shroze].  In the days when I
used to change trains there, British Rail made a point of using both
pronunciations.



John Dunn.
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