  We demonstrate that the strong anomalies in the high frequency LO-phonon
spectrum in cuprate superconductors can in principle be explained by the
enhanced electronic polarizability associated with the self-organized one
dimensionality of metallic stripes. Contrary to the current interpretation in
terms of transversal stripe fluctuations, the anomaly should occur at momenta
parallel to the stripes. The doping dependence of the anomaly is naturally
explained, and we predict that the phonon line-width and the spread of the
anomaly in the transverse momentum decrease with increasing temperature while
high resolution measurements should reveal a characteristic substructure to the
anomaly.
