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From: Tony Xenos and company <ax823092@oak.cats.ohiou.edu>
Subject: Re: ae (was: Sociological autopsy of the Dunblane massacre)
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On 1 Jul 1996, Bill Fisher wrote:

> In article <4r3liu$qke@news3.digex.net>, kcivey@cpcug.org (Keith C. Ivey) writes:

>   Well, it depends on where the lexical stress is, e.g:
> 
>       *woman* doctor  = doctor who treats women
>        woman *doctor* = doctor who is a woman
> 
>       *child* doctor  = doctor who treats children
>        child  *doctor* = doctor who is a child

[...]

>        *lesbian* doctor = doctor who treats lesbians
>        *Klingon* doctor = doctor who treats Klingons
>        *Snopes* doctor  = doctor who treats Snopeses

While stress does seem to play a role in understanding these phrases, I
think it would be extremely imprecise, unfair, and haphazard to depend on
stress to convey the intended meaning.  Take this sentence:

I talked to a lesbian doctor today.

No matter whether she were a lesbian or he treated them, I would tend to
put the emphasis on the first syllable of doctor.  I can imagine two
different circumstances where I would put the stress on LESbian.  

1) I have been interviewing doctors who treat only gay men for several
weeks and today talked with one who treated lesbians.  I talked with a
LESBIAN doctor today. 

2) I have been interviewing doctors who are straight for several weeks and
today talked with one who was a lesbian.  I talked with a LESBIAN doctor
today.

Both of these exceptions to the pattern require emphasis in the first
word, so context MUST be used to ascertain which type of lesbian doctor I
speak of.

Either that or coin a new word.

May I suggest LESBIATRICIAN?

Craig

--
Tony Xenos                                                     Craig A. Butz
10 Hocking Street                                          2498 Mineral Road
Athens, Ohio 45701                           New Marshfield, Ohio 45766-9747
614.593.8746                                                    614.664.6401

