Stress homographs
 
The next distinct group, which was by far the largest, was the noun (or adjective) with front-stress against verb (or
adjective) with end-stress set with 287 words. One suspects that in a good many cases the distinction is unnecessary for
intelligibility; the set of -port words (export, import, transport) for instance are often heard with front stress even when
being used as verbs, and I have heard on air the word increase stressed both ways as noun and both ways as verb. In
twenty-eight cases (listed in the table below) there is a large difference in meaning and use between the two spoken
forms while in other cases the difference is more syntactic than lexical.
In most cases any adjective senses ally themselves with the noun and exhibit front stress, but in one case, content, the
adjective sense is end-stressed and relates more closely to the verb than to the noun. The adjective compact seems to
occur both front-stressed and end-stressed with no change of meaning, although the noun is always front-stressed and
the verb always end-stressed. All the other adjectives in the full list, absent, abstract, compound, converse, frequent,
perfect, present, quadruple and second, were front-stressed.
 
There are three cases needing further comment.
 
* The word entrance, while looking like a stress homograph, should perhaps be counted as a true homograph, since the
noun sense derives from the verb enter while the verb sense derives from the noun trance.
 
* The word deserts exists as two different nouns, one front-stressed meaning 'dry places', and the other end-stressed
meaning 'what one deserves' and occurring usually in the fixed phrase 'get one's just deserts'. This second use has a
homophone in the word desserts meaning 'sweet courses', which gives rise to many spelling errors and headline puns.
 
* The word process exists as a noun with front-stress and as two different verbs, one with front-stress with a meaning
linked to the noun process and one with end-stress with a meaning linked to the noun procession.
 
The meanings of the twenty-eight special cases are as follows:
 
abstract :  (noun) summary, (adjective) not concrete, (verb)to steal
collect : (noun) prayer of the day, (verb)to gather
compact :   (noun) container for make-up, (adjective) occupying a small space, (verb)to compress
compound   (noun) (1) substance combining chemical elements, (noun) (2) enclosed group of                                       
buildings,(adjective) not linear in progression, (verb)to make more complex
concert     (noun)musical performance, (verb)to combine,
console:    (noun)control desk, (verb)to comfort
content:    (noun)what is contained, (verb) to make happy, (adjective) happy
contract:   (noun)formal agreement, (verb)to become smaller
converse:   (noun)opposite, (verb)to talk to another person
defile:      (noun)path between cliffs, (verb)to make dirty
desert :    (noun)dry place, (verb)to run away from
deserts:    (noun) (1) dry places (front-stressed), (noun) (2) what one deserves (end-stressed)
             (verb)runs away from
entrance :  (noun)way in, (verb)to give delight
essay :      (noun)piece of writing, (verb)to attempt
exploit :    (noun)brave deed, (verb)to take advantage
frequent :   (noun)often occurring, (verb)to visit regularly
incense:     (noun)aromatic smoke, (verb)to enrage
intern:      (noun)US trainee doctor, (verb)to imprison
object :     (noun)thing, purpose, (verb)to be against
present:     (noun)gift, time now, (adjective) in this place, (verb)to hand over
process:     (noun)method, (verb) (1) to modify (front-stressed), (verb) (2) to move in procession (end-stressed)
proceeds:   (noun)money earned by selling something, (verb)moves forwards
produce :   (noun)what is grown or made on a farm, (verb)to make
project :    (noun)plan, (verb)to stick out
record:      (noun) (1) music on disc or a written log of events, (noun) (2) best ever performance or result,                  
(verb) to write down
refuse :     (noun)rubbish, (verb)not to agree
second:      (noun)part of a minute, (noun)number two in sequence, (verb)to send away on temporary duty
subject:     (noun)topic, (verb)to force a person to accept
 
 
 
This is the full list of 287 words:
 
(schwa is shown as ? here)
 
Example : absent 'æbs?nt / ?b'sent
abstract, abstracts, accent, accents, addict, addicts, advert, adverts, affix, affixes, allies, alloy, alloys, ally, annex,
annexes, attribute, attributes, co-star, co-stars, collect, collects, combine, combines, commune, communes, compact,
compacts, compound, compounds, compress, compresses, concert, concerts, conduct, confines, conflict, conflicts,
conscript, conscripts, console, consoles, consort, consorts, content, contents, contest, contests, contract, contracts,
contrast,contrasts, converse, convert, converts convict, convicts, counterbalance, counterbalances, decoy, decoys,
decrease, decreases, defect, defects, defile, defiles, descant, descants, desert, deserts, dictate, dictates, digest, digests,
discard, discards, discharge, discharges, discount, discounts, discourse, discourses, entrance, entrances, escort, escorts,
essay, essays, excess, excise, exploit, exploits, export, exports, extract, extracts, ferment, ferments, filtrate, filtrates,
fragment, fragments, frequent, impact, impacts, implant, implants, import, imports, impress, impresses, imprint,
imprints, incense, incline, inclines, increase, increases, indent, indents, inlay, inlays, insert, inserts, inset, insets, instinct,
insult, insults, interchange, interchanges, interdict, interdicts, intern, interns, introvert, introverts, inverse
invite, invites, mandate, misconduct, misprint, misprints, object, objects, overbid, overbids, overcharge, overcharges,
overflow, overflows, overhang, overhangs, overhaul, overhauls, overlap, overlaps, overlay, overlays, overprint,
overprints, overstrain, overthrow, overthrows, overwork, perfect, perfume, perfumes, permit, permits, pervert,
perverts, prefix, prefixes, presage, presages, present, presents, proceeds, process, processed, processes, processing,
produce, progress, progresses, project, projects, prolapse, prolapses, prospect, prospects, prostrate, protest, protests,
purport, quadruple, quadruples, rampage, rampages, rebel, rebels, rebound
rebounds, recap, recapped, recapping, recaps, record, records, re-count, re-counts, refill, refills, refit, refits, refund,
refunds, refuse, rehash, rehashes, reject, rejects, rejoin, rejoined, rejoining, rejoins, relay, relaying, relays, relays,
remake, remakes, remount, remounts, replay, replays, reprint, reprints, retake, retakes, rethink, rethinks, retread,
retreads, rewrite, rewrites, second, seconded, seconding, seconds, segment, segments, subcontract, subcontracts,
subject, subjects, surmise, surmises, survey, surveys, suspect, suspects, torment, torments, transfer, transfers,
transplant, transplants, transport, transports, undercharge, undercharges, undercut, underlay, underline, underlines,
undertaking, undertakings, upgrade, upgrades, uplift, upset, upsets.
 
 
There were two interesting words which reversed the trend of this set, words where the front-stressed form was the
(3rd person singular) verb and a form with stress later in the word was the (plural) noun:
 
(schwa is shown as ? here)
 
analyses '&n?laIzIz ?'n&l?siz
diagnoses 'daI?gn?UzIz ,daI?g'n?Usiz
 
 
-ATE words
 
Another large group was the set of words ending with -ate where the noun/adjective sense uses a schwa while the verb
sense uses a full vowel. There were 42 of these (or 69 counting the inflectional variants). All of them retain the same
stress pattern whether noun/adjective or verb except for “alternate” and “consummate” which, like “analyses” and
“diagnoses” and unlike the other stress homographs, puts the stress at the front for the verb and later for the
noun/adjective. (See Higgins 1984 for a discussion of the phenomenon.)
 
(schwa is shown as ? here)
 
Example : advocate (noun)'&dv?k?t (verb)'&dv?keIt
 
advocates, agglomerate, aggregate, aggregates, animate, appropriate, approximate, articulate, aspirate, aspirates,
associate, associates, certificate, certificates,
confederate, confederates, conglomerate, conglomerates, coordinate, coordinates,
degenerate, degenerates, delegate, delegates, deliberate, desolate, duplicate, duplicates, elaborate, estimate, estimates,
expatriate, expatriates, graduate,
graduates, incarnate, incorporate, inebriate, inebriates, initiate, initiates, intimate, intimates, moderate, moderates,
pontificate, pontificates, precipitate, predicate, predicates, quadruplicate, quadruplicates, regenerate,
reincarnate, reticulate, separate, separates subordinate subordinates, syndicate, syndicates, triplicate, triplicates
underestimate, underestimates
 
But: alternate (verb) 'Olt?neIt noun)  Ol't3n?t
       consummate (verb) 'k0ns?meIt (noun) k?n'sVm?t
 
 
-MENT words
 
A similar but smaller group was the set of words ending with -ment where the noun sense uses a schwa while the verb
sense uses a full vowel. There were five of these (ten including the inflectional variants).
 
Example : compliment (noun) 'k0mplIm?nt (verb) 'k0mplIment
compliments, document, documents, implement, implements, ornament, ornaments
supplement, supplements.
 
 
Voicing
 
A fifth set was that in which the noun/verb or adjective/verb distinction was made by voicing a final
consonant. There were seventeen of these:
 
Example abuse (noun) ?'bjus (verb) ?'bjuz
abuses, baths, close, closes, diffuse, excuse, excuses, house, misuse, misuses,
mouth, mouths, unused, use, used, uses.
 
 
-ED adjectives
 
 
Two more small groups could also be identified and separated. The first was the nine -ed adjectives
with matching verb past tenses:
 
Examples : aged         (adjective)'eIdZId (verb in the past tense) eIdZd
            blessed (adjective)'blesId (verb in the past tense) blest
 
crabbed, crooked, cursed, dogged, jagged, learned, ragged.
 
Not in the dictionary with both pronunciations but behaving similarly is the word beloved, which has
three syllables as a noun or attributive adjective, but only two as a passive participle. ("I loved and
was beloved again": Byron.) This dictionary listed wicked only as a two-syllable adjective, but the full
OED also lists a one-syllable pronunciation, meaning "having a wick".
 
 
French loan words
 
The other group was the set of French loan words whose Anglicised plural is not represented in the
spelling. Only three were recorded in the lists, but one expects there must be more.
 
corps kOR kOz
patois 'p&twA 'p&twAz
rendezvous 'r0ndIvu 'r0ndIvuz
 
To be continued in our next issue
________________________
 
2.- PALINDROMES 
palindrome (noun) : A word (such as "level"), a compound (such as "race car"), a sentence , or a longer statement that
communicates the same message when the letters of which it is composed are read in reverse order.
[From Greek palindromos (running again, recurring), from palin (again) + dromos (running)]

Palindromes make you exult Ah ha! Oh, ho! Hey, yeh!, Yo boy!, Yay!, Wow!, Tut-Tut!, Har-har! Rah-rah!, Heh-heh!,
and Hoorah! Har! Ooh! and “Ahem! It's time. Ha!”

The most famous palindrome is MADAM, IM ADAM (Adam's introduction of himself, in English, of course how
convenient to Eve, the mother of all palindromes), but my personal favorite is the wiggy, loopy, lunatic
 
“GO HANG A SALAMI. IM A LASAGNA HOG”.
 
And let's tip our collective hat to the astonishingly long yet coherent
“DOC, NOTE, I DISSENT. A FAST NEVER PREVENTS A FATNESS. I DIET ON COD”.

I hope you're enjoying this palindromic -- or shall we say, calendromic – year (2002), the last one you'll ever see! You
remember 1991, and MIM and MM -- possible Roman numeral representations of 1999 and 2000 and the last time
that Arabic or Roman palindromic years will ever again occur consecutively.
Don't hold your breath until the next calendrome. 2112 won't be here for another hundred and ten years.

Close kin to the palindrome is the semordnilap, which is a reverse spelling of palindromes. While a palindromic word
(such as civic) conveys the same message left to right and right to left, a semordnilap becomes a new word when
spelled in reverse. Examples include decaf/faced, deliver/reviled.
In a semordnilap may repose a hidden message:

* War is raw.
* Boss is spelled b-o-s-s because your boss is a backward double s.o.b.
* When you are stressed, you may reach for desserts.

7.- AUTHENTIC MATERIAL FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS 

Looking for more authentic materials for your students? Below is a website where you can learn about and subscribe
to a mailing list featuring new and interesting books.
www.chapteraday.com