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Re: word separation (was:Hobbits spoke ?)

From:Joe <joe@...>
Date:Saturday, October 30, 2004, 9:01
Marshall and Endemann wrote:

>on 30/10/04 9:07 PM, J. 'Mach' Wust at j_mach_wust@YAHOO.COM wrote: > > > >>But 'oil cloth' and 'oilcloth' are the same. >> >> > >Not the way I say them - as with black bird as opposed to blackbird, the two >words contain more or less equal stress and duration. In the compound word >the second syllable has significantly less stress and shorter duration than >the first. The meanings are different too - 'oilcloth', a kind of linen (or >cotton?) impregnated with oil - 'oil cloth' a cloth for cleaning up oil. > >Or maybe that's only Kiwi usage? > >
No, English too. 'a black bird' is different to 'a blackbird'.