Is the split in pronunciation of "detail" regional, semantic, or irrelevant?

Or maybe just haphazard? Something else?

When I want to refer to a small military unit put together to carry out a specific task, I'll call it a DEtail, accent on the first syllable.

When I want to refer to a particular portion of a larger whole, I'll call it a deTAIL, emphasis on the second syllable.

In my mind, in other words, there is a semantic difference between the pronunciations. Nevertheless, I have noticed that some speakers of American English tend to stress the first syllable, and some don't. Is there any rhyme or reason to the variation in pronunciation of this word?

Solution 1:

My first thought is that I would tend to use DE-tail as a noun and de-TAIL as a verb, usually in the past tense.

That's an irrelevant DE-tail.

She de-TAILED her problems for us at great length.

However, I don't see any backup for this in the dictionary, so it must be regional (or familial!) for me. In fact, the accent on the second syllable seems to be the preferred pronunciation--since it's listed first. (That's still the custom, right?)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detail