Putin

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

Valid point, Tom, about POUTINE; maybe the fact that there are so many
Canadians reading the news in the US makes POUTINE more influential on them
than on the ordinary speaker of USA English (note that I carefully avoided
reference to the native speaker). though (as you imply). That makes this a
little like the choice between Urinous and Youranus. Still, I'm sure that
Poutin would rather be associated with food than flatulence.

As for the "normal" English stress, well, yes, there certainly is that
tendency (though as we all know, English stress placement is notoriously
complex)--and I am reminded now that LENIN and STALIN are both normally
pronounced in American English with a schwa in the second syullable. Maybe
that is the model. But doesn't semantics override phonetics in situations
like this?


In a message dated 8/6/2000 8:42:14 AM, t.paikeday at SYMPATICO.CA writes:

<< One of many possible reasons, it seems to me, is that (poo.TEEN) is the

pronunciation of "poutine" (Cdn.Fr.) which, according to the Oxford Canadian,

means "a dish of french fries topped with cheese curds and a sauce, usu.
gravy."

There is also the English speaker's tendency to retract stresses to the first

syllables of words. Of course, I am being facetious, if you will forgive an
old

fart. >>