accent Hear it!

accent Definition

ac·cent (ak′sent′; chiefly Brit, -sənt; for v., ak′sent′, ak sent′)

noun

  1. the emphasis (by stress, pitch, or both) given to a particular syllable or word when it is spoken
  2. a mark used in writing or printing to show the placing and kind of this emphasis, as in the primary (ʹ) and secondary () accenting of English (ac·celʹer·ator, aca·demʹi·cal·ly, etc.)
  3. a mark used to distinguish between various sounds represented by the same letter in French there are acute (´), grave (ˋ), and circumflex (^) accents
  4. the pitch contour of a phrase
    1. a distinguishing regional or national manner of pronunciation Irish accent, Southern accent
    2. a manner of articulating the sounds of another language that is influenced by the phonology of one's native language speaking Russian with a heavy Midwestern American accent
  6. a voice modulation expressive of an emotion accents of love
  7. Old Poet. speech; words; utterance in accents mild
  8. a distinguishing style of expression
  9. a striking or prominent feature of any artistic composition the classical accent of a pillar
  10. an object or detail that lends emphasis, as by contrast with that which surrounds it
  11. special emphasis or attention to put the accent on highway construction
  12. a mark used with a number or letter, as in mathematics to indicate a variable (a), or in measurement of length (10′ 5″, ten feet five inches) or of time (3′ 16″, three minutes sixteen seconds)
  13. Music
    1. emphasis or stress on a note or chord
    2. a mark or sign showing this
  14. Music, Prosody rhythmic stress or beat

Etymology: Fr < L accentus < ad-, to + cantus, pp. of canere, to sing: a L rendering of Gr prosōidia (see prosody), orig. referring to the pitch scheme of Gr verse

transitive verb

  1. to pronounce (a syllable, word, or phrase) with special stress
  2. to mark with an accent
  3. to emphasize

accent Synonyms

accent

n.

  1. Importance

    emphasis, stress, weight, significance; see importance 1.

  2. Stress

    stress, prominence, emphasis, beat, stroke, pitch, modulation, accentuation, rhythm, meter, cadence, accent mark, diacritic.

  3. Manner of pronunciation

    pronunciation, speech pattern, inflection, intonation, articulation, enunciation, dialect, twang, drawl, brogue, burr; see also dialect.

accent Synonyms

accent

v.

accentuate, stress, intensify; see emphasize.

accent Usage Examples

Object

  • vowel: To type accented vowels, use your normal method of doing this under Windows.
  • character: Your best choice is to prepare a version without any Polish accented characters at all.

Converse of object

  • imitate: People still imitate German accents that they hear in WWII films, although modern Germans do not speak like this anymore.
  • annoy: Once weâre done, Iâm just going to hang out with my brother and speak in as many different annoying accents as we can.
  • adopt: If actors are going to adopt a scouse accent, please stick to it throughout the play.
  • distinguish: The accuracy of distinguishing American accent and British accent is 83 % .

Adjective modifier

  • cockney: The cockney accent had disappeared; Winston suddenly realized whose voice it was that he had heard a few moments ago on the telescreen.
  • Glaswegian: A smile, a nod, a polite little " OK " in a Glaswegian accent.
  • posh: No posh accents on T.V. No sharks swimming in the custard.
  • Scouse: Yet from his beer belly to his Scouse accent, Kilfoyle is almost a caricature of an old Labor MP.
  • Jamaican: Parents, start practicing your best Jamaican accent now!
  • Irish: The man has a strong Irish accent, believed by the witness to be Southern Irish.

Modifies a noun

  • lighting: Del Lighting Del Lighting designs superior fiber optic lighting systems for commercial lighting, accent lighting, starfields, landscape or pool lighting.
  • correction: Advanced English speech synthesis, accent correction function, and specialized terms database will help you communicate with utmost efficiency.

Noun used with modifier

  • scouse: If actors are going to adopt a scouse accent, please stick to it throughout the play.
  • cut-glass: His cut-glass accent was too strong, often making it difficult to understand what he was saying.
  • manc: Coronation St tho is not truly representative of Manchester or a Manc accent.. .
  • decor: My Serendipity's Gifts My Serendipity Gifts, home decor and home decor accents.
  • chrome: Tasteful chrome accents are inlayed into the color-coordinated front bumper just below the headlamps.
  • pitch: Pitch and stress: Japanese is only minimally semantically tonal, tho the majority of dialects have a word pitch accent.
accent Quotes

L'accent du pays o  u' l'on est ne¤   demeure dans l'esprit et dans le c½ur comme dans le langage. The accent of the place in which one was born lingers in the mind and in the heart as it does in one's speech.

—La Rochefoucauld, Fran c° ois, 6th Duc de

I'm sometimes asked 'Can you lose the accent?'and I say 'No, but I can put on another one'.

—McGregor, Ewan

I haven't been abroad in so long that I almost speak English without an accent now.

—Benchley, Robert Charles

Even though his tongue acquire the Southern knack, he will still have a strong Scots accent of the mind.

—Stevenson, Robert Louis

There is a formal poetry perfect only in form†the number of syllables, the designated and required stresses of accent, the rhymes if wantedöthey come off with the skill of a solved crossword puzzle.

—Sandburg, Carl

Her frocks are built in Paris, but she wears them with a strong English accent.

—Saki pseudonym of  Hector Hugh Munro