Am I the only person left who puts an emphasis on the last syllable of research?
I was jogging by the Thames today, while listening to a British academic on BBC Radio. Like so many people, he kept on talking about his "reeesearch".
There are many words which have alternative pronunciations. One which seems to fox people is controversy.
But putting the emphasis on the first sound in research is an Americanism which seems to be becoming the norm.
This is what the Oxford dictionary says:
"The traditional pronunciation in British English puts the stress on the second syllable, - search. In US English the stress is reversed and comes on the re-. The US pronunciation is becoming more common in British English and, while some traditionalists view it as incorrect, it is now generally accepted as a standard variant of British English."
Or am I just being a pedant (stress on the first syllable this time)?
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