CONtract/conTRACT

[Dennis R. Preston]

Ellen,

RE-search might be a stigmatized pronunciation, but you can call it
what you like as long as it produces pages (especially in prestigious
places and even better if it produces outside $$$$). Won't nobody
worry bout where your strress falls.

DInIs



>and don't forget the one that troubles me most, given the academic
>context in which I find myself and my propensity to use the regional
>(stigmatized?) form:
>REsearch vs. reSEARCH.
>
>Ellen Johnson
>Assistant Professor of Linguistics
>Dept. of English, Rhetoric, and Writing
>Berry College, Box 350
>Mt. Berry, GA 30149
>706-368-5638
>http://fsweb.berry.edu/academic/hass/ejohnson/
>ejohnson at berry.edu
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Dennis R. Preston [mailto:preston at PILOT.MSU.EDU]
>Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 1:51 PM
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: CONtract/conTRACT
>
>
>Many of us Southerners eschew fancy-pants Romance stress rules and go
>for a root (or even misunderstood as root) earlier syllable. I bet
>them good ol- CON-tract speakers are also
>
>CE-ment
>ICE-cream
>UM-brella
>and even
>TEN-nessee
>
>speakers.
>
>It ain't slipping; it's done slupt.
>
>dInIs
>
>>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.")
>>
>>D
>
>--
>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

--
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