Stress

[licinio]

I would normally say medical 'school with a stress on school.

Nevertheless I listened to a spoken report saying that "the town of x is particularly renowned for its 'medical school", with an accent on medical.

So I wondered: either I am wrong in pronouncing as I am used to doing, or the second utterance was made with a purpose of emphasis, to say that i.e. it's not the farming school that the town's famous for.

Which of the above option is correct?

[Buddhaheart]

I think your reason for purpose of emphasis is correct. Please give some context when you ‘would normally say medical 'school with a stress on school.’

[amigos4]

Originally Posted by Buddhaheart

I think your reason for purpose of emphasis is correct. Please give some context when you ‘would normally say medical 'school with a stress on school.’

Buddaheart,

The use of an accent on certain words is often a product of the region where it is used. I can easily see the word 'school' being stressed/emphasized if it is the last word in a sentence spoken by a resident of Ontario, Canada. Would you agree that some Canadians tend to lift the last word in a sentence?
I'm confident there are other regions of the English speaking world which also have regional accents that stress words differently than their neighbors might.

Cheers,
Amigos4

[licinio]

Originally Posted by Buddhaheart

I think your reason for purpose of emphasis is correct. Please give some context when you ‘would normally say medical 'school with a stress on school.’

Well, I was just thinking of any other situation when "medical school" could be said with no need for contrast.
Ex. He studies in a medical 'school and he's got one more year before he gets his graduation.
Do I assume right?

[amigos4]

Originally Posted by licinio

Well, I was just thinking of any other situation when "medical school" could be said with no need for contrast.
Ex. He studies in a medical 'school and he's got one more year before he gets his graduation.
Do I assume right?

Licino,

Typically, when saying 'medical school', there is no need to stress either word. The same would apply to other combinations such as 'drug store', 'doctor's office', and 'Sesame Street'. Regional accents in the USA may place a very slight, almost non-percievable accent on the first word in the combination. Seldom is the second word in the combination stressed.

Does this answer your question?

Cheers,
Amigos4

[licinio]

Originally Posted by amigos4

Licino,
Typically, when saying 'medical school', there is no need to stress either word. The same would apply to other combinations such as 'drug store', 'doctor's office', and 'Sesame Street'.

Well, I was taught that a combination of two nouns receives a stress on either the first or the second word. In addition, some combinations may have a shifted accent for emphasis.
'Broad Street (on the first, as always with street) but Clapham 'Road (on the second), Trafalgar 'Square.
Ice 'cream (on the second); 'Video tape (1st)...
This may refer only to British accent though.

PS See Wikipedia article
English compound - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
under Sound patterns.