tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post5490299126541570711..comments2024-02-19T07:51:46.118-05:00Comments on Throw Grammar from the Train: Is there a "bite" in "respite"?Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173219179480606941noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-10889415634789732192013-12-10T12:15:47.704-05:002013-12-10T12:15:47.704-05:00Hi there, this is an old post but it has helped me...Hi there, this is an old post but it has helped me so I thought I'd comment. In my neck of the woods, (Hertfordhsire, England - near the Essex border)it is SO common to hear res-PITE that all my life I have thought that respite and rest-bite were seperate terms with similar meaning. I honestly thought that rest-bite was the sort of thing an American sports commentator might say, for example, and that it meant the same as 'respite'. Perhaps you can picture Del Boy from Only Fools... saying res-PITE and you can understand my confusion.<br /><br />Anyway, cheers for clearing this up, I was about to put a very stupid mistake in an essay.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09658479455773731593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-45313566888231713992010-09-19T17:53:28.764-04:002010-09-19T17:53:28.764-04:00whats with all this prescriptive grammar? what mak...whats with all this prescriptive grammar? what makes you all grammar authorities? Do you have studies in grammar BA's? somehow I doubt it. whats up with all the discrimination, lets let people use language to communicate effectively by creating what ever sort of impression they want.... -_-0Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-82391068239376342732010-08-30T20:10:20.890-04:002010-08-30T20:10:20.890-04:00Among the people I know it is pronounced ress pit....Among the people I know it is pronounced ress pit. I only hear it when referring to a brief break for a person who cares for a parent with Alzheimers or a child with severe special needs. I seem to recall years ago hearing it with the Pite sound when referring to the unrelenting heat and humidity of August.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-42284799350368702972010-08-28T23:37:50.663-04:002010-08-28T23:37:50.663-04:00Australian, and in the context of "a welcome ...Australian, and in the context of "a welcome respite" I can imagine it only with second-syllable stress, resPITE.<br /><br />But surely it is RESpite that would give rise to "rest bite"? I mean, "rest bite" would be stressed on the REST, just like "sound bite" is stressed on the SOUND.<br /><br />"Respite care" is a completely different context. There I would expect to hear RESpite, putting aside the fact that I wouldn't expect to hear (as opposed to read) such a phrase anyway.<br /><br />Never heard of RESpit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-3793401220582708662010-08-28T15:48:53.109-04:002010-08-28T15:48:53.109-04:00The ghost of Hamlet's father says he is "...The ghost of Hamlet's father says he is "unrespited, unpitied, unreprieved", where the meter shows that "unrespited" was stressed on the second syllable. Therefore, in his day "respite" must have had initial stress and a weak final syllable (i.e. RES-pit), since neither "un-" nor "-ed" shift the stress.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-54989116245396991852010-08-19T19:02:30.687-04:002010-08-19T19:02:30.687-04:00Another vote for REZ-pit.Another vote for REZ-pit.Grammar Parrothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05919885281788701123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-70927605219492461162010-08-18T02:55:05.296-04:002010-08-18T02:55:05.296-04:00I'm in Australia and I say (and hear) the word...I'm in Australia and I say (and hear) the word with stress on the first syllable. 'Pite' and 'pit' are both used. I always thought that 'pit' was the 'proper' (posh)pron, but have been wrong about such things before. (Once or twice.)Gordon Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12489454659726022382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-30868925164692057492010-08-14T07:38:21.550-04:002010-08-14T07:38:21.550-04:00Oh, I love the concept of rest bite! However, I us...Oh, I love the concept of rest bite! However, I use the word on occasion, and pronounce it RES pit.FUZZARELLYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12340378858926874634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-8941219600707653122010-08-14T03:02:43.962-04:002010-08-14T03:02:43.962-04:00Just took a quick poll of all the Australians in t...Just took a quick poll of all the Australians in the room (there are two of us), and we say the word "res-pite" with just about equal stress. If anything the second syllable may be very slightly stronger.Vireyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16464838238295059335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-51570840037872242452010-08-14T02:57:32.510-04:002010-08-14T02:57:32.510-04:00RESS-pit sounds slightly old-fashioned to me in Br...RESS-pit sounds slightly old-fashioned to me in BrE. The normal thing is RESS-pite, though ris-PITE is possible too, perhaps indeed on the analogy with "despite". But even so in phrases like "repite care" there would be a predictable stress shift to "RESS-pite care" (cf prin-CESS but PRIN-cess ANNE). <br /><br />However this is irrelevant, since the stress pattern of "rest bite" would clearly be "REST bite", like sound bite. It's not "sound BITE".<br /><br />Interestingly, Wells (LPD) gives ris-PITE only as an American alternative to RESS-pit, with no RESS-pite in AmE. In which case, yes, this wd presumably only work as a British eggcorn.Harry Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01675794936870568336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-23047996285559796542010-08-13T23:22:53.387-04:002010-08-13T23:22:53.387-04:00Jonathan: Yes, I see the OED has both vowel sounds...Jonathan: Yes, I see the OED has both vowel sounds, but it shows only first-syllable primary stress. Is my problem that the combination of first-syllable stress and long "i" in second syllable is unnatural in AmE? (If "respite" has the i of "despite," I expect it to have the stress of "de-SPITE" as well.) Maybe this is (as you suggest) an eggcorn only for BrE speakers. (But I'm strictly an amateur, ready to be enlightened.)Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01579983806826643000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-10944234189734807112010-08-13T22:01:24.212-04:002010-08-13T22:01:24.212-04:00I'm not sure how often I hear anyone say "...I'm not sure how often I hear anyone say "respite," but I think I usually hear "RES-pit." For what it's worth, both Merriam-Webster and the OED say that "RES-pite" is the usual British pronunciation, with primary stress on the first syllable. But if it's mostly British, that could be why you haven't encountered it much. And I assume an al-Jazeera writer would be more likely to use British English.Jonathonhttp://www.arrantpedantry.comnoreply@blogger.com