Sorry, but no. Stress as pronounced is described by phonological rules in the deep structure of a language, if the word is regular. English is notoriously full of exceptions, irregular words.Try writing some Miltonic blank verse.
[End] On 2/18/14 12:05 PM, "Carleton MacDonald" <carlet...@comcast.net> wrote: >Equally telling: > >No one says "mil-LI-meter", "cen-TI-meter"; therefore, "kil-AH-meter" is >equally wrong. All have the accent on the first syllable with "meter" >pronounced properly. > >Carleton > >-----Original Message----- >From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [mailto:owner-u...@colostate.edu] On >Behalf Of mechtly, eugene a >Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 11:40 >To: U.S. Metric Association >Cc: mechtly, eugene a >Subject: [USMA:53576] Re: No Accent on "lom" in kilometer! > >Jim (Frysinger), > >The point I would like to emphasize is that SI "Multiples" (and >submultiples) are formed by a Prefix plus a Coherent SI Unit. > >Accent on "lom" in kilo-meter to form "lom- eter" diminishes this concept >of "prefix + unit" to form a Multiple. > >What should we *teach* the next generation to *speak* in English; >"lom-eter" or kilo-meter? I certainly advocate "kilo-meter." > >Indeed, this question arises in this forum every few years, but it does >need to be reviewed occasionally for the benefit of newcomers. > >I am not fluent is Chinese, in any of its various dialects, so I am not >able to tell you (plural) where the Chinese should put the accent (with >a grin, or not a grin), but I admire your diligence in informing us about >some of the variations in Chinese. > >Neither am I fluent in Italian, in Russian, in Czech, or in any of the >other languages of Eastern Europe or Asia. > >What do subscribers who are fluent in any of these languages have to say >about speaking the word for "kilo-meter" in one or more of those >languages? > >The SI Symbols for Units, although adopted globally in a unique form, can >not always be spoken (as a letter or letters) as a convenient substitute >for a word or words in spoken language. > >Eugene Mechtly > >________________________________________ >From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [owner-u...@colostate.edu] on behalf of >James Frysinger [j...@metricmethods.com] >Sent: Monday, February 17, 2014 10:22 PM >To: U.S. Metric Association >Subject: [USMA:53574] Re: No Accent on "lom" in kilometer! > >Here is an example that is closer to the issue of the "proper" way to >pronounce "kilometer". In Chinese, "kilo" (千) is pronounced "qiān" and >"meter" (米) is pronounced "mi". (But in Taiwan "meter" is 公尺, >pronounced"gōngchǐ".) Perhaps in the PRC they say "qiāngmǐ" (千米 would be >the spelled out unit name) for the unit symbolized with "km". I don't >know their grammar so I'm guessing.* > >But perhaps, Gene, you could tell us where the Chinese should put the >accent in "qiānmǐ" or "qiāngōngchǐ". Grin. > >BTW, what I've been posting comes from > http://www.metricmethods.com/Resources.php >Please note the references and acknowledgement of contributors at the >bottom of the page. > >Jim > >*Trusting the never-wrong Web, I just now found the Chinese expression >for "kilometer" as used in physics: > 千米, pronounced qiānmǐ >Dang! I was right! > http://en.bab.la/dictionary/english-chinese/kilometer > > >On 2014-02-17 21:44, James Frysinger wrote: >> Gene, >> >> This argument seems to arise every 3 years on this mailing list. Or it >> has over the last 20 years, anyway. And it never accomplishes anything >> except to let people voice their preferences. It never accomplishes >> anything. That is because there is no "right" way or "wrong" way to >> pronounce "kilometer" except to those who write dictionaries and thus >> appoint themselves as experts. >> >> I think your first statement is entirely correct. >> >> I think your second statement is an unfounded supposition. Secondly, I >> think it flies in the face of the reality that in some languages, the >> unit names, when pronounced, would sound nothing at all like they do >> in English or some of the Romance languages, or even the Teutonic or >> Slavic languages. For example, the Greek name for what we call the >> "second" (of >> time) is δευτερόλεπτο which transliterates to "deuterolepto". That is >> why the SI symbols are inviolate. The symbol for "second" is the same >> as it is for the δευτερόλεπτο, namely "s". >> >> Not only are the spellings of SI units and prefixes subject to the >> whims of various languages, so also the grammar and pronunciations. >> >> Having said that, this argument devolves down to how we should >> pronounce "kilometer" in English. We will never standardize that; >> people will pronounce it how they wish to. To-MAY-to or to-MAH-to. I, >> for one, will be happy as long as they don't pronounce it so that it >>sounds like "mile". >> >> Now, let's figure out how to further metricate the US. >> >> Jim >> On 2014-02-17 12:19, mechtly, eugene a wrote: >>> The CGPM does not publish an official "Guide for Pronouncing the >>> Names and Multiples of SI Units." >>> >>> Nevertheless, I am confident that members of the CIPM (and CGPM) >>> would reject an accent on the "lom" in the word kilometer. >>> >>> NBC commentators at the SUCHI Olympic events, *all* seem to have >>> adopted this bad practice of accenting the "lom." >>> >>> Who initiated this *deviation* from the established global practice >>> of enunciating both the prefix "kilo" and the stem "meter"? >>> >>> In spoken French and German there is no accented "lom" in kilometer! >>> >>> Is "lom" accented in any other languages which you might speak? >>> >>> Eugene Mechtly >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> > >
