"Basically, the compound stress rule states that the first word in a compound noun carries primary
stress. So "HARD hat" is a special type of hat, whereas "hard HAT" is just a hat that is hard. The problem is that compound words are recursive constructions. That is, they can contain compound words. So
"Left wing leading edge perforated piccolo tube" contains compounds such as "leading edge", "left wing leading edge", "piccolo tube", etc. That makes the stress rule less reliable. Also, the compound noun "leading
EDGE" does not follow the compound stress rule. In many cases, compound nouns are conventionalized adjective-noun pairs that retain their original primary stress on the last word. That is, they are idioms."
Mmm. I think I am expected to provide an intelligent counter-response within the next few days.
Anyone got any helpful hints?
2 comments:
I would go with Ralph Wiggum's lead (the not-so-smart kid from the Simpsons) and reply, "My cat's breath smells like cat food."
;-))
Do you think Americans have a good enough sense of humour to cope with that kind of response....?
I'm not sure I dare.... ;-)
Post a Comment