Re: SURVEY: Idiomatic Expressions In Your ConLang Or ConCulture

Henrik Theiling wrote:
>
> Quoting tomhchappell <tomhchappell@...>:
> >
> > I know German's Western, but I don't know how they say a
> > "sick" building.
>
> 'krankes Haus' vs. 'Krankenhaus'.  However, in some situations,
> you get the same form due to case endings on the adjective:
>
>  in einem Krankenhaus    ['kRaNkN=,haUs]
>  in einem kranken Haus   [,kRaNkN='haUs]
>
> The stress pattern is different.  You could even eliminate this by
> forcing emphasis on 'krank' (Like in: 'blahblah...in a sick house.
> In a brick house?  No, in a *sick* house.'  You'd also get
> ['kRaNkN=,haUs] then.)

This happens in English as well. Compare

1. Some black bird built a nest in my front tree.

2. Some blackbird built a nest in my front tree.

In the first sentence, the stress is on "bird," while in the
second, the stress is on "black."

--Ph. D.