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[James Harbeck]

>I say, "Well, you never know." In the '50's, IIRC, "FOR-midable"
>became "for-MIDable." Now, the word seems to have returned to
>"FOR-midable." OTOH, the shift of "EX-quisite" to "ex-QUIsite," which
>may have occurred around the same time - memory fails - appears to be
><sob!> permanent.

Funny. I use "forMIDable" and am used to hearing that; I only expect
"FORmidable" from Brits. OTOH, I'm quite used to "EXquisite"; I use
it myself (but not invariably -- however, I don't have a clear
criterion to trot out governing my choice; I suspect it's related to
which pronunciation I've most recently heard, and perhaps which
general tone or register I'm using) and I think I may hear it more
often than "exQUISite," though I can't say so with certainty, since I
don't hear either all that often.

James Harbeck.

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