Some proper names deviate from the way stød is distributed in the Danish vocabulary in general. Oxytone lexemes with long sonority rhymes normally have stød, as in mus [muːˀs] ‘mouse,’ telt [tˢɛlˀd̥] ‘tent’ and [pʰɑˈʁɑːˀd̥] parat ‘ready.’ So do the boys’ names Hans [hanˀs] and Rolf [ʁʌlˀf]; but Jens [jɛns] and Niels [nels] have no stød. Paroxytone lexemes are generally without stød, as in skole [ˈsɡ̊oːlə] ‘school,’ [ˈhuɐ̯d̥i] hurtig‘quick’ and [b̥aˈlæːðə] ballade ‘rumpus.’ So are the towns Holte [ˈhʌld̥ə] and Horsens [ˈhɒːsəns]; but Balslev [ˈb̥alˀslew] and Borup [ˈb̥oːˀʁɔb̥] have stød. Nine thousand proper names were analyzed in search of phonological properties that might account for the departure from the fundamental principle of lexeme stød in Hans Basbøll’s Non-Stød Model. The results do not challenge the validity of the model; but they suggest an amendment and a differentiation of the perception of boundaries between elements in compound and compound-like names.
