"Suspect", v. and n.

[Jim Parish]

Interesting, since Powell was one of the actors in "The Kennel Murder
Case" who pronounced it that way.

By the way, "The Kennel Murder Case" was directed by Michael Curtiz, who
also directed (nine years later)
"Casablanca" - in which "suspects" (n.) is, memorably, pronounced
"SUSpects".

Jim Parish

On 7/6/2012 6:20 PM, Spanbock/Svoboda-Spanbock wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Spanbock/Svoboda-Spanbock <spanbocks at VERIZON.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "Suspect", v. and n.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Toward the end of the Thin Man:
>
> William Powell: I'm going to give a party and invite all of the =
> susPECTS.
>
> Myrna Loy: The susPECTS? They won't come!
>
> --
> Kate Svoboda-Spanbock
>
> (t) 310-880-3091
> (f) 310-915-9807
> spanbocks at verizon.net
>
>
>
> On Jul 6, 2012, at 1:08 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
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> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: "Suspect", v. and n.
>> =
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
>> =20
>> I've seen a million old movies, and, for what it's worth, I've never
>> noticed that pronunciation.
>> =20
>> I doubt the actor would have used that pronunciation,or that the =
> director
>> wouldn't have corrected it, unless it seemed perfectly normal.
>> =20
>> Cf. "permit," n.  I posted an old-movie ex. of stress on the second
>> syllable a couple of years ago. Unlike susPECT, I have frequently =
> heard
>> this in real life.
>> =20
>> JL
>> =20
>> On Thu, Jul 5, 2012 at 9:28 PM, Jim Parish <jparish at siue.edu> wrote:
>> =20
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Jim Parish <jparish at SIUE.EDU>
>>> Subject:      "Suspect", v. and n.
>>> =20
>>> =
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
>>> =20
>>> This evening, I was watching the 1933 movie "The Kennel Murder Case".
>>> Towards the end of the film, several characters use the word =
> "suspect"
>>> as a noun; each of them pronounces it with stress on the second
>>> syllable, rather than (what I'm more accustomed to) the first. Does
>>> anyone know whether this pronunciation was common at that time, or =
> have
>>> any other explanation?
>>> =20
>>> Jim Parish
>>> =20
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>> =20
>> =20
>> =20
>> =20
>> --
>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the =
> truth."
>> =20
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