word stress

[Bide]

We had a chapter on word stress. Lets say we have:

1. [NOUN] The exports are increasing.
2. [VERB] Our company exports many products.

What is 'export' in:

3. These goods are for export.
4. This is an export company.

??

 

[GoesStation]

Is this homework? We won't do your homework for you.

Can you see which word is the verb in those sentences?

 

[Bide]

It is homework, homework I gave them.

I am asking about the status of 'export' in 3. and 4. As what do you perceive them? Where would you stress them? By what reasoning do you arrive at your conclusions?

 

[emsr2d2]

It is homework, homework I gave them.

If you're handing out homework, that suggests you are an English teacher (not reflected in your member profile). Why are you giving out homework questions to which you don't know the answers?

 

[Bide]

The answers threw me. I just gave them the words. I expected answers like 1. and 2.

What is your opinion of the status of 'export' in 3. and 4.

 

[bhaisahab]

What were the answers you received?

 

[Bide]

3. and 4.

 

[bhaisahab]

Surely 3 and 4 are part of the question.
They can't be the answer to "What is "export" in:
3. These goods are for export.
4. This is an export company. ?

 

[Raymott]

Are you asking about word stress or parts of speech? You seem to have changed your mind half way through your post.
In Australia, export can be pronounced thus, as both a noun and a verb. But export is also used as a verb.

 

[Bide]

OK, put it this way:

The students had various words that may be used as a verb or a noun, among which was 'export'. They had to write 2 sentences each time. In one sentence, the word, in this case 'export', should be used as a verb, in the other sentence, the same word should be used as a noun.

3. and 4. are answers I got.

My question to you is:

How do you see 'export' in:

3. These goods are for export.
4. This is an export company.

I would like you to say what you think 'export' is in these sentences, and why you think so, because I was unsure.

The word stress will depend upon the part of speech, so if you know what part of speech you have, you will know what letter to underline.

 

[Raymott]

They're both nouns, the second used adjectivally.

 

[GoesStation]

The verb in both sentences is ​to be.

 

[Bide]

@GoesStation: The object of the exercise was to underline the stressed vowel in each usage. In 'export' we can therefore underline 'e' or 'o'. Nouns will usually be stressed on the first vowel, verbs at some other position. Cf. produce, produce

@Raymott: Can you just walk me through your reasoning? I would like to know how you arrive at this conclusion.

3. These goods are for export.

*These goods are for an export. *These goods are for the export. Facit: you can't use an article. The abstract noun 'export' is the concept of the verb infinitive 'export'.
These goods are for an export contract. These goods are for the export contract.

4. This is an export company.

This is an export company. This is a big company.

By what rule do you deduce that export is fundamentally a noun?

 

[GoesStation]

This is an export company. This is a big company.

By what rule do you deduce that export is fundamentally a noun?

Simplify the sentence to This is a company. Can a verb fit before "company"? No, only an adjective.

Unfortunately, when you look in the dictionary you find that export is a noun or a verb, not an adjective. This is a case where a noun modifies another noun as if it were an adjective. It's called an attributive noun.

 

[Raymott]

@Raymott: Can you just walk me through your reasoning? I would like to know how you arrive at this conclusion.

3. These goods are for export.

*These goods are for an export. *These goods are for the export. Facit: you can't use an article. The abstract noun 'export' is the concept of the verb infinitive 'export'.
These goods are for an export contract. These goods are for the export contract.

4. This is an export company.

This is an export company. This is a big company.

By what rule do you deduce that export is fundamentally a noun?

I can't tell you how I reasoned the answers. They were immediately obvious. But I'll try to explain them.

3. These goods are for export.
Compare" These goods are for art. These goods are for selling. These goods are for exporting. These are all nouns (some are gerunds). The zero article can be used for nouns. "These gifts are for Christmas".
I don't know what you mean by the red sentence, except that you are saying it's an "abstract noun", and hence, you are agreeing that it's a noun.
'
4. "This is an export company. This is a shoe company. This is an insurance company."
'Export' is not a verb (nor are shoe or insurance) so they have to be nouns in this case. 'Big' is an adjective, so it doesn't fit into your scheme.

 

[Bide]

Thanks, I wanted to see what other people said.

So in 3. you would stress the 'e' of 'export' and in 4. you would also stress the 'e' of 'export'? (The adjective usually taking the same stress as the noun in cases where a word may be a noun, a verb or an adjective. Cf n. present, v. present, adj. present)

3. These goods are for export.

4. This is an export company.

Funnily enough, export is from Latin exportare "to carry out, bring out; send away, export," from ex- "away" (see ex-) + portare "carry", so at least originally would have been a verb. That's what I was thinking of by the red text: there may not be much difference between the mass noun 'export' and the infinitive 'export'. However, in Latin an infinitive cannot be the object of a preposition.

 

[Raymott]

An infinitive can't be the object of a preposition in English either, I think. If it is, it's some other part of speech sharing the same form.

I was only giving the pronunciation in Australian English. There is variability here with words like this, eg. research, resource, in which the verb is usually stressed on the second syllable, and the noun ~50/50 on the first or second. 50 years ago, everyone here would stress the first syllable. But that's history.

 

[GoesStation]

So in 3. you would stress the 'e' of 'export' and in 4. you would also stress the 'e' of 'export'? (The adjective usually taking the same stress as the noun in cases where a word may be a noun, a verb or an adjective. Cf n. present, v. present, adj. present)

3. These goods are for export.

4. This is an export company.

Yes to both. However, export is not an adjective so rules (or tendencies) of stress on adjectives don't apply here. It is an attributive noun, a noun modifying another noun.

 

[Bide]

Hi again!

Lying in bed on this rainy morning before daybreak, I started thinking about this thread again. Raymott and GoesStation both maintain 'export' is a noun, albeit used attributively in:

4. This is an export company.

I would like to hear your arguments in favour of this standpoint. As contra-arguments I offer the following:

A: 'export' comes to us from the Latin verb 'exportare', which means 'out carry'. 'a carry out', pronounced with rolling rrs, 'carry uut', as my old Scottish friend always said, is a take-away meal. This is a common feature in languages: an adjective is nominalized in lieu of an implied noun, here: meal. Cf "Lets get a take-away."

B: You cannot show me an export. You can only show me an export product. If your country exports wheat, you could show me a ship load of wheat. I would see wheat, not export. Likewise any other product which is 'an export product'.

C: 'export' refers to what we do to a product, namely 'carry it out of the country', not a product or a thing. As the word for what we do to something, it is an abstraction referring to an action, an infinitive.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this! If this is too much for this forum, then maybe privately. I don't want to bother anyone! You can contact me at: djahrgang1@163.com

 

[bhaisahab]

An export. ;-)