CONtract/conTRACT

[Dennis R. Preston]

Good point larry. And may account for some "apparent southernisms" in
northern speech. Maybe New York ain't southern after all (they got
their own linguistic insecurity to deal with).

dInIs

>>From: "Duane Campbell" <dcamp911 at JUNO.COM>
>>To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 10:21 AM
>>Subject: CONtract/conTRACT
>>
>>>  I have heard several spokespersons talk about the victims who have
>>>  CON-tracted anthrax. My understanding has always been that you CON-tract
>>>  with someone for a sale or service, but you con-TRACT a disease. Is this
>>>  ideosyncratic or is this proper susage that is just slipping. (It seems
>>  > to be the same people who constantly say "as best we can.")
>>>
>>
>P.S.  It just occurred to me that the above cited speakers might
>indeed say "conTRACT a disEASE"  but say "CON-tract AN-thrax" because
>of the famous "rhythm rule" in English stress (four-TEEN vs.
>FOUR-teenth FLOOR).  Just a guess.  It also might be "contamination"
>from CON-tact (where verb and noun both have initial stress).
>
>larry

--
Dennis R. Preston
Department of Linguistics and Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
preston at pilot.msu.edu
Office: (517)353-0740
Fax: (517)432-2736