The dictionaries list both possibilities to stress nineteen (or any other -teen, for that matter): ,nine-teen and nine-‘teen. Are the two pronunciations completely interchangeable, a matter of dialect, or a matter of meaning? I am asking because I’ve never heard nineteen stressed on the first syllable in sentences like: I am nineteen years old. He … Read more
Is there a different origin of pronunciation style for record as a verb and as a noun? Fun fact: in OS X, if you type say “this record” and say “record this” — the text to speech system picks up the difference. Impressive. Answer They have the same etymologic origins. I thought this was a … Read more
Does indent carry an accent on the first or the second vowel? I’ve seen both in IPA. My non-native ear would tend to favor the first. Answer Personally, I would say “ind-ent” for the noun, and “ind-ent” for the verb. Ind-ent for the noun is pretty much universal. For the verb, it varies from person … Read more
There are many interesting events in the history of the English language. Which one of them gave us “defect” (noun, /diːˈfɛkt/, imperfection) and “defect” (verb, /dɪˈfɛkt/ , change allegiances)? Answer (This is an expanded version of my earlier comment on the question.) This is not the direct answer to your question, but anyway it seems … Read more
When saying the title of JRR Tolkien’s masterpiece, which is the correct pronunciation (Yes, I know that they’re spelled wrong, but I’m trying to emphasize the pronunciation): Thuh Lord of thuh Rings Thee Lord of thee Rings Thuh Lord of thee Rings Thee Lord of thuh Rings I’m partial to the first pronunciation, but another … Read more
