Wofahulicodoc-i pronounce this WOfaHUlicoDOC. Two trochees and and iamb (or an amphibrach and an anapest). RhuBARB comMANdo. PEter tromBONiAtor- the last is deliciously iambic as is RC.
I disagree that iamb is closest to normal speech.
Iamb is closest to desired intonation.
Okay serious question: scansion changes with accent. I pronoun trochee as an iamb. Where does that leave carefully scanned poetry- in the realm of subjectivity? There are no set rules as to which syllables are and aren't stressed, are there?
*** Sorry for the excessive energy of this post: a beloved topic.
Apparently the longer syllables are stressed and shorter aren't but this is also dependent on accent and culture. For salman rushdie- we say salMAAN and not SALman.

Okay -I'll stop yappin now.

Last edited by Avy; 02/28/12 12:52 PM.