This is true IF, AND ONLY IF, the word in question is followed by an
enclitic (an accentless word that is deemed, for purposes of pronunciation
and accentuation, an addendum to the preceding word). In Romans 1:9 the
enclitic that follows is MOU. The reason for this is the instinctive horror
felt by a Greek speaker for an accent (pitch-mark in reality) more than
three syllables from the end of a word.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, USA 63130
(314) 935-4018
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwc@oui.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/