Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007 - 1:44 pm:

quote:

Pronunciation note

Many English words exemplify the original stress rule of Old English and other early Germanic languages, according to which all parts of speech except unprefixed verbs were stressed on the first syllable, and prefixed verbs were stressed on the syllable immediately following the prefix. Although the scope of this rule has been greatly restricted by the incorporation into English of loanwords that exhibit other stress patterns, the rule has always remained operative to some degree, and many loanwords have been conformed to it throughout the history of English.

For South Midland and Midland U.S. speakers in particular, shifting the stress in borrowed nouns from a noninitial syllable to the first syllable is still an active process, yielding [dee-troit] for Detroit, as well as cement, cigar, guitar, insurance, umbrella, and idea said as [see-ment], [see-gahr], [git-ahr], [in-shoor-uhns], [uhm-brel-uh], and [ahy-deeuh].

Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007 - 10:33 pm:

quote:

Evans said the presence of deputies has emboldened riders to step up and help stop assaults. He cited one incident where three passengers subdued a juvenile who was attacking a bus driver. They held him until deputies arrived.

"I don't know if those Good Samaritans would have sprung into action like that if they didn't feel that they could count on a prompt police response," Evans said. "That one incident tells me that passengers know that even if they are not on their bus at the time, a deputy is never far away."

Norman White, Director of DDOT said he has received positive feedback so far.

"One of the biggest concerns we have had has been the safety of our drivers, who were being assaulted on a regular basis. Since sheriff's deputies began patrolling, we have seen a dramatic reduction in those cases, which reflects the overall level of improved safety and order on our coaches," White said.