"Suspect", v. and n.

[Spanbock/Svoboda-Spanbock]

I heard somewhere that Powell's mother was Irish. Maybe that's where it comes from?
--
Kate Svoboda-Spanbock

(t) 310-880-3091
(f) 310-915-9807
spanbocks at verizon.net



On Jul 6, 2012, at 4:40 PM, Jim Parish wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jim Parish <jparish at SIUE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "Suspect", v. and n.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 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:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> 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:
>> 
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header =
>> -----------------------
>>> 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
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org