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Show Take My Word for It! By Frank Colby HOW WE SAY 'ADDRESS' ... An irate reader demands: "People "Peo-ple must stop saying 'AD-dress'l Do your duty, Colby, and warn people against this illiterate pronunciation." pronuncia-tion." Of course, this modest column has for many years sought to guide its readers in the matter of correct pronunciation and good English usage. However, my recommendations recommenda-tions have not, I think, been pedantic pe-dantic nor out of step with the times. I have recognized the very definite defi-nite trend, In American speech and writing, away from the formal and dignified and toward the colloquial, which is called "the style of well-bred well-bred ease." For this reason, I cannot do as my reader suggests and warn people peo-ple that the pronunciation "AD-dress," "AD-dress," for address (the directions on an envelope, or one's street name and house number), is illiterate. illiter-ate. As a matter of fact, "AD-dress" "AD-dress" is the prevailing American pronunciation. Even the dictionaries recognize "AD-dress," and dictionaries are traditionally reluctant to change their listings, even after such listings list-ings have become so utterly obsolete obso-lete as to be ridiculous. The AD-dress on a letter, or one's residential AD-dress, is sanctioned by Merriam Webster's, the Thorn-dike Thorn-dike Century, and Kenyon and Knott's pronouncing dictionary. My recommendation is: Use whichever pronunciation you prefer AD-dress or ad-DRESS. Both are good usage in standard American. Note, however, that the noun address, ad-dress, "a discourse or speech," and the verb address, "act of addressing," address-ing," are best usage when accented on the second syllable: ad-DRESS. I should avoid AD-dress in either case. So, it is good colloquial American to say: "Please give me your AD-dress AD-dress so that I will know where to ad-DRESS letters to you. I have been invited to ad-DRESS the Rotary Ro-tary club. The subject of my ad-DRESS ad-DRESS will be . . ." (Note. When address hi accented on the second syllable, most persons obscure the "a" in the Ami syllable, thus: uh-DRSS. This, too, is quite correct, and it is a matter of choice. BU ryndlcate. WNU Feature |