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Show Very Difficult to Make ! Rules for Pronouncing Words of Our Language A good American citizen was mildly Indignant on being told that be was nut correct in saying, "I'll give you my address," with the accent on tha first syllable of his last word. "Certainly that's right!" he said. "There's a well-known rule that when a two-syllable word is used both as a noun and as a verb, it's accented on the first syllable If it's a noun and on the last if it's a verb. Why, I'll undertake under-take to give you a dozen instances offhand." off-hand." And he proceeded, with a little time for cogitation, to produce the following follow-ing exhibits, all of which undoubtedly comply with his specifications : Convict, export, import, annex, conduct, con-duct, desert, compound, contest, produce, pro-duce, present, rebel, record. "Tour rule Is a failure, nevertheless," neverthe-less," said his friend and critic. "I admit that it seems to work with the words you have mentioned ; but I'll undertake to give you twice as many, and equally common ones, that falsify it." And he did. It did not take him five minutes to think of two dozen words used both as nouns and as verbs and pronounced identically in both senses. Cover, credit, merit, offer, honor, thunder, order, rescue, reason, season master, purchase In these the accent is always on the first syllable ; while It Is always on the last syllable In report, re-port, account, exchange, control, command, com-mand, attack, effect, advance, attempt, preserve, ally and alarm. All of which goes to show that It Is very difficult to make rules for the pronunciation of our noble and beloved, be-loved, but unaccountable language. Munsey's Magazine. |