> British English generally has the stress on the second syllable (all
of
> the times I've heard a Brit put the emphasis on the first they have
> been exposed to AmE, but there could be BrE regional variations which
do
> that as well). The vowel sound can vary, however, between a schwa
> (which I assume is what the & is in your notation), I as in 'bite'
and
> (more rarely) i as in 'hit' depending on the speaker.
>
> The Concise OED (9th ed.) gives the latter two forms equally for BrE
and
> doesn't mention either the schwa or the stress on the first
syllable...
>
> Chris C
It is now worth mentioning that stress on the first syllable is simply
not listed in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate. Chris, I cannot understand
where you got the idea that putting stress on the first syllable might
be an American innovation.
Could you please describe to me any actual person on God's green earth
(not six feet or less beneath it) who has not been exposed to American
English?
Pound down those cheeseburgers, boys! Mmm-mmm good!
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