CONtract/conTRACT

[Dennis R. Preston]

Come South. CON-tract is a noun but CON-tract is a verb. See, us
hillbillies have got pragmatic and syntactic ways of telling nouns
from verbs; don't need us no stress stuff. We could send some
RE-verse carpetbaggers up to hep y'all with the problem if y'all
cain't tell yer nouns from yer verbs.

dInIs



>To all:
>
>----- Original Message -----
>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.")
>>
>
>Maybe this is just "regional", but I always thought CONtract was a noun and
>conTRACT was a verb.
>Anne G

--
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