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Pastimes : SI Grammar and Spelling Lab
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To: Janice Shell who wrote (81)1/2/1998 2:11:00 PM
From: Jack Clarke  Read Replies (2) of 4710
 
Janice:

I think you have wreaked havoc with many of my thoughts! I do agree with you about wrought but cannot find support for this in any of my references.

Now about harass. I do believe it should be pronounced with the accent on the second syllable: huh-RASS This is always the way I heard it until sometime around the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings. The dictionary gives this as the preferred pronunciation, also I suppose I think it is better this way because of its similarity to the French harasser, but that may be a personal thing.

Why do some not want to say huh-RASS? I can only guess that people don't like the sound of the second syllable by itself, with its linguistic similarity to the anatomical area. I remember in college hearing the expression "harass your ass", which of course is less emphatic with the accent on the first syllable. For me, HAR-ess sounds a little pompous, but perhaps that's from seeing those pompous congressmen using it.

Jack
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