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Book "English pronunciation in use - Advance" [E1] page 40:

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(1) the ˌBBˈC

(2) He works for the BBˈC.

(3) He works for ˈBBC RAdio.

Book "Oxford Word skill - intermediate - 1st edition" [E2] page 237:

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(4) DVˈD

Question 1: With DVD, it is ˌDˌVˈD, why not ˌDVˈD as (1)?

Question 2: What are rules for (1) (2) (3). With 3 positions of stress for 1 word BBC, I cannot understand when use (1), (2), or (3)?

[E1] https://www.cambridge.org/gb/cambridgeenglish/catalog/grammar-vocabulary-and-pronunciation/english-pronunciation-use-advanced/english-pronunciation-use-advanced-book-answers-and-downloadable-audio?isbn=9781108403498&&format=DO

[E2] https://elt.oup.com/catalogue/items/global/grammar_vocabulary/oxford_word_skills/?cc=global&selLanguage=en&mode=hub

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    Do you see Unit 10B as the textbook mentions? What does it have to say?
    – Showsni
    Commented Sep 3, 2023 at 12:26
  • This is Unit 10B 1drv.ms/i/s!AhMAe-fS33VbhbUdX2DaxhL_JQwzOg?e=h0SFep
    – Vy Do
    Commented Sep 3, 2023 at 12:30
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    I don't know 'why not DV'D'. How does Oxford Word Skill tell you to pronounce BBC? Maybe the two books have chosen to express it differently. This is something that native speakers don't need to think about.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Sep 3, 2023 at 12:53
  • Book Oxford Word Skill did not mention BBC word.
    – Vy Do
    Commented Sep 3, 2023 at 12:57
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    @YosefBaskin Ah, I'd missed that point about using it as an adjective; I think that explains that example, since it talks specifically about stress shift.
    – IMSoP
    Commented Sep 3, 2023 at 20:16

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Somebody may come along later with better sources, but I think the reality here is that acronyms like this are often pronounced with fairly even stress, so marking a "correct" stress pattern is difficult.

In early 20th Century "BBC English", a radio announcer would have paused between each letter, rather than treating it as a word: "This is the Bee Bee See Home Service". Spoken quickly, that might lend a slightly stronger stress on the first B. On the other hand, if you do run it together as though it was a word "beebeesee", the natural stress would fall on the last syllable, and therefore the C.

DVD is a much more recent word, and more often spoken as though it was a word, "deevidee" or "deeveedee". The main stress is definitely on the last syllable, but there is probably some variation in how the rest is pronounced. The difference in secondary stress marker on the middle syllable is probably referring to speakers either pronouncing a full "ee" sound, or weakening it to a vowel more like the "i" in "hit".

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