Are there rules that determine if a word changes inflection depending on its part of speech? Some words seems to change inflection whether a noun or a verb, while others are pronounced the same.
I realize not every person pronounces every word the same, but I'm going to throw out some observations I hear commonly. Forgive how I type pronunciations or where emphasis lies–I am not familiar with universal pronunciation guidelines, so the best I know is writing phonetic English.
Words that do change inflection from noun to verb:
- Contract –
CON-tractvs.kun-TRACT - Defect –
DE-fectvs.de-FECT - Precipitate –
pre-SIP-i-titvs.pre-SIP-i-tate- Looks like inflection doesn't change on this, but still a single-syllable change in pronunciation
- Contrast –
CON-trastvs.kun-TRAST- "What is the contrast between working the day and night shifts?"
- "How does this contrast with your opinion?"
Words that do not change inflection whether noun or verb:
- Compare
- Appeal
- Scramble
Best Answer
Since linguists describe pronunciation, but generally treat traditional spellings as a separate, secondary phenomenon, it seems rather odd to them (and to me) that you treat the noun "contract" and the verb "contract" as two different "inflections" of a single word. What is the same between these forms? Not the pronunciation, not the part of speech, and not the meaning. The only things that are the same are (1) the conventional spelling, (2) probably in part the etymology.
I would say they are not the same word, and likewise for your other two examples. So, if there really are cases where a word changes pronunciation depending on its part of speech, you need to find better examples, before searching for an explanation.