复合名词是英语复合结构中的一个重要组成部分。因此,讨论复合名词中的重音级差及其变动问题不仅将有助于加深我们对英语语调、节奏的认识,而且还将从整体上促进我们对英语复合结构的研究。本文拟先就历史上英语复合名词中的重音级差变动作一个简单的回顾,然后将对十七世纪以来现代英语复合名词中的重音变动问题作一次初步的探索。本文不讨论美国英语复合名词中的 Compound nouns are an important part of English compound structure. Therefore, discussing the differences in accents and their variations in compound nouns will not only help to deepen our understanding of English intonation and rhythm, but also promote our study of the compound structure of English as a whole. This article will first make a brief review of the variations of accent levels in compound English nouns in history, and then make a preliminary exploration of the accent changes in modern English compound nouns since the seventeenth century. This article does not discuss American English compound nouns