Herzegovina

The name of the region Herzegovina is pronounced in RP with the first syllable like 'hurts', or like the German Herr (near English 'hair'), the second a shwa, and the third (which carries the primary stress) like 'of': IPA: /ˌhɜː (*or eə) ^rts ə ˈgɒv ɪn ə/. In its own language (Serbo-Croat, Hercegovina is pronounced similarly, with a slightly 'longer' '-i-': /ˌh (or χ) ɜː (*or eə) ^rts ə ˈgɒv in ə]].

Herzegovina forms about a quarter of what is called informally Bosnia. The country is formally Bosnia and Herzegovina, abbreviated as BiH (i is Serbo-Croat for 'and') or B&H. In English, it is sometimes written hyphenated as Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is currently (2020) formed of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (abbreviated FB&H) and Republika Srpska. The precise history of the applicationof the term Herzegovina is confused and erratic - for further information, consult a specialist.

Etymological note: Herzegovina is derived from the German Herzog, or Duke, the title assumed in 1448 by Stjepan Vukčić Kosača to replace the traditional South Slavonic title of vojvoda.

The [[]adjective]] and noun meaning '[an inhabitant of, or 'to do with] Herzegovina is Herzegovinian, in which the stress falls on the fourth syllable - 'hurts-er-gov-IN-i-an', IPA: /ˌhɜː (*or eə) ^rts ə gɒv ˈɪn ɪ ən/. =====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.