e-dress

[Beverly Flanigan]

Come to think of it, I agree with you totally!  In fact, I may even
alternate between the two stresses when I refer to the noun (never for the
verb though).

At 04:46 PM 12/2/2004, you wrote:
>On Dec 2, 2004, at 4:02 PM, Beverly Flanigan wrote:
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIOU.EDU>
>>Subject:      Re: e-dress
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------
>>
>>In fact, I think it's pretty common here to stress the first syllable
>>for
>>the noun (what's your AD-dress?) and the second for the verb (a-DRESS
>>me
>>politely!).  Do most of you agree?
>
>For me, the difference is slightly finer. I use the end-stressed
>version for any instance wherein "address," merely under other
>circumstances, *could* be a verb. E.g. Lincoln's Gettysburg [@DRES] :
>the speech vs. Lincoln's Gettysburgh [AEdres] : his summer home.
>There's a Wahnuh Brudduhs cahtoon in which Bugs Bunny, as Lincoln,
>says, "Write me at my Gettysburg [@DRES]" = "Write me at my speech."
>For me, this pun loses much of its punch, if Bugs says, instead, "Write
>me at my Gettysburgh [AEdres]" = "Write me at my house."
>
>-Wilson
>
>>
>>At 12:57 PM 12/2/2004, you wrote:
>>>Yes, you stress 'e'. But I don't think you need to stress 'a' in
>>>address.  To me, 'e-dress' is  more like 'e-commerce', 'e bay' 'e
>>>mail'
>>>and so on.
>>>Fritz
>>>>>>halldj at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU 12/02/04 09:19AM >>>
>>>  It seems to me that the
>>>substitution of the first vowel in the word to produce a novel item
>>>for
>>>*e-mail
>>>address* only works if you stress the first syllable in the word
>>>['aedrEs], as
>>>many (at least) Americans do, since the first syllable in the parallel
>>>['i:drEs] needs to be stressed to make the point.
>>>
>>>FYI, at least when I last lived there (I moved to the States in
>>>August 2003),
>>>the usual term for *e-mail address* was, well ... *e-mail address*,
>>>or, if you
>>>wanted to be less clunky, simply *e-mail*.  Of course, you can use
>>>both those
>>>terms in the US too.
>>>
>>>Damien Hall
>>>University of Pennsylvania