Bolinger on noncontrastive stress on function words

[Mark Mandel]

WAG: A City Hall press representative who makes dozens of these
announcements every week, reading from daily schedules or agendas, might
very well fall into the habit of using stress in such a way for the
components of each item.

m a m

On Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 1:54 AM, Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at gmail.com> wrote:

> I remember vaguely that Dwight Bolinger wrote something on
> newsreaders' use of stress on function words in sentences like
>
> The mayor will meet WITH grant recipients AT City Hall tomorrow AT nine.
>
> I've heard the pattern often enough, though not necessarily with every
> preposition stressed as above but clearly with prepositions or other
> function words that were stressed for no apparent reason.  I've heard
> it with relative-that also.  I've searched online through about a
> dozen Bolinger papers on stress, but I haven't been able to find the
> paper I vaguely remember reading a long time ago.  If anyone can come
> up with the reference from this not very precise description, I'd be
> grateful.
>
> Herb
>
>

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