Install and installation

Laurence Horn laurence.horn at YALE.EDU
Thu Dec 12 02:38:33 UTC 2013


On Dec 11, 2013, at 9:15 PM, Benjamin Barrett wrote:

> It appears this pair has not been mentioned in connection with invite/invitation.
>
> Today, I saw "home theater system install unit" (or something very close to it) on a Geek Squad truck. Like "invite," I think this has a very high acceptance rate.
>
> Both "install" and "invite" lack a schwa sound, which may be relevant. "We have to do an install on 59th Street" may sound more serious or jargon-like to installers (and customers) because of the fuller vowel.
>
I'm assuming "install" gets the same first-syllable stress "invite" does, so an install is homophonous with an inn stall?  (I haven't heard it, so I may be misgeneralizing.)

LH

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



More information about the Ads-l mailing list