Insult
From Hull AWE
The word insult is pronounced differently when it is used as a noun from the way in which it is pronounced as a verb.
- The noun 'an insult' has the stress on the first syllable: 'IN-sult', IPA: /'ɪn sʌlt/.
- The verb 'to insult' has the stress on the second syllable: 'in-SULT', IPA: /ɪn 'sʌlt/.
- The phrase 'to add insult to injury' means, literally, 'to say something hurtful to someone who has already been hurt [physically]'. More loosely, it is used to mean 'to perform a further hurtful action [indeed or word] after an initial harm'. One might say, more literally, "The mechanic charged me £100 for the job, and then,to add insult to injury, he said my car was crap"; or more loosely, "The mechanic charged me £100 for the job, and then,to add insult to injury, the repair didn't work."
Note
- This pattern of shifting stress in words that look identical but belong to two separate word classes is quite common in English.
- Quirk (1985) (Appendix I.56 B) describes the most common: "When verbs of two syllables are converted into nouns, the stress is sometimes shifted from the second to the first syllable. The first syllable, typically a Latin prefix, often has a reduced vowel /ə/ in the verb but a full vowel in the noun: He was con-VICT-ed (IPA: /kən ˈvɪkt ɪd/) of theft, and so became a CON vict (IPA: /ˈkɒn vɪkt/)" [AWE's rendition of IPA].
- There follows a list of some 57 "words having end-stress as verbs but initial stress as nouns in Br[itish] E[nglish]." Note that "in Am[erican] E[nglish], many have initial stress as verbs also". Quirk's list is the foundation of AWE's category:shift of stress. Additions have been made from, amongst others, Fowler, 1926-1996.
- Quirk (1985) (Appendix I.56 B) describes the most common: "When verbs of two syllables are converted into nouns, the stress is sometimes shifted from the second to the first syllable. The first syllable, typically a Latin prefix, often has a reduced vowel /ə/ in the verb but a full vowel in the noun: He was con-VICT-ed (IPA: /kən ˈvɪkt ɪd/) of theft, and so became a CON vict (IPA: /ˈkɒn vɪkt/)" [AWE's rendition of IPA].
- This pattern of shifting stress in words that look identical but belong to two separate word classes is quite common in English.