Hypercorrection?

[Dennis R. Preston]

Wilson,

Where you stress 'employee'? For me, nuclear is on 'ploy' and
secondary on 'ee,' cept when I'm in deep hillbilly mode, then all
stress floats to the front -  /IM-ploy-ee/ (still secondary on -ee).

dInIs

PS: Don't mess wif my /E/ -> /I/ fore a nasal. I might have to come
down and look you up like you threatened poor ole what's-his-name.


>  Peter writes:
>....> referred to the defendant as "the
>dee-fen-DANT."  (Maybe this isn't quite comparable to "employ-ER," since I
>don't know what contrast it would be trying to make clear.)<
>
>>>  "She called my emploYER [Employ^r]." I.e. Stress is on the final
>>>  syllable. This looks like an overcorrection based on the stress
>>>  pattern of "employee," which didn't occur in the course of the
>>>  exchange.
>>>  --
>>>  -Wilson Gray
>~~~~~~~~~
>Reminiscent, too, of the "realTORS" often heard on the radio (underwiters,
>perhaps? of NPR).
>AM


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages
A-740 Wells Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: (517) 432-3099
Fax: (517) 432-2736
preston at msu.edu