Where is the accent pronunciation using syllabic division?

Contents

Have you ever looked up a dictionary on the internet and noticed that the delay phonetic symbol is [diˈleɪ] with "ˈ" in between? This is the symbol of "accent" to emphasize.

Usually, it is easy to think that the English accent is in the "vowel", but in reality the accent is in the "syllable", which is a block of sounds, in this case it is not in the [e] of [leɪ] but in the whole [lei]. Means In this way, review the basics of English accents that you may or may not know, and be able to speak English with the correct pronunciation.

Table of contents
  • The English accent is in "syllables"
  • Let's determine the position of the accent from the mass of sound
  • If you want to speak English with accurate accents

English accent is in "syllables"

English sounds are divided into small chunks called "syllables", and the accent is determined by adding strength to these "syllables". Some people wonder, "But what is a syllable?" So, first of all, I would like to explain the basic "syllables" and how to place accents.

"Syllables" are the minimum pronunciation chunks

Try saying the word vacation in katakana. You will be connecting five pronunciations, "ba ke y sho n". However, in English, the three pronunciations [və] [keɪ] [ʃ (ə) n] are connected. The smallest unit of pronunciation like this [və] is called a "syllable".

vacation

Katakana Ba Ke Lee Sho N (5 syllables)

English [və] [keɪ] [ʃ (ə) n] (3 syllables)

There are vowels in "syllables"

You might think, "But can you pronounce [k] and [eɪ] separately?" In fact, it is difficult to recognize a consonant like [k] by itself, and always make a "syllable" with a vowel like [eɪ]. Even when considering the sound of katakana, "ba" is [ba] and ke is [ke], which always contain vowels.

Note that [eɪ] is not a combination of [e] and [ɪ], but is considered as a single sound called "diphthong."

The accent is in "syllables"

Considering [keɪ] as the smallest unit of pronunciation, the accent of a word is not in [e] of [keɪ], but in the whole [keɪ]. In other words, the vacation accent can be expressed as follows.

vacation [vəˈkeɪʃ (ə) n]

* Accented to syllable [keɪ]

Have you ever thought that "vowels have an accent" and tried to pronounce only the sound of [e] strongly? An English accent means to say the whole [keɪ] strongly.

Let's determine the position of the accent from the mass of sound

Once you understand the idea of "syllables" and "accents on syllables" in English, you will be able to understand pronunciation tips that you have never been able to grasp well. Let's look at the tips of "syllables", "accents", and "pronunciation" from the examples of individual words.

strange is a mass of sounds

Do you know where the word strange is accented? You think, "Because I say'Ray'strongly, ra?"

But if you look closely, s, t, n are consonants, and ge is a consonant [(d) ʒ]. The only vowel is a [eɪ], which means that the strange is "one syllable" and "the whole word is accented".

strange

Katakana to le n ji (5 syllables)

English [streɪn (d) ʒ] (1 syllable)

In katakana, you can say only "su" and "to" strongly, but in English you cannot say only [s] and [t], and the pronunciation inevitably emphasizes [eɪ]. In this case, the dictionary may not have an accent mark, or [ˈstreɪn (d) ʒ] may be preceded by [ˈ].

A smart phone is a mass of two sounds

With the same idea, let's look at the accent of the smart phone. smart has only a consonant and a vowel for s, m, r, and t, so it is a "one syllable". Since phone is a consonant for both ph and n, e is not pronounced, and the vowel is only o, it is "one syllable". In other words, the long word "smartphone" in katakana, but only "two syllables" in English.

smart phone

Katakana ma a to fo n (6 syllables)

English [smɑːt] [fəʊn] (2 syllables)

Since it says smart more strongly than phone, it is [ˈsmɑːt fəʊn] when adding an accent symbol.

Practice identifying syllables and accents

Once you get the hang of it, say the next word aloud, keeping in mind the "syllables" and "accents".

muscle

precious

digestion

entertainment

answer:

muscle [ˈmʌsl] A one-syllable word. Say "Masuru" at once.

precious [ˈprɛʃəs] A two-syllable word. I strongly say [prɛ].

digestion [dʌɪˈ dʒɛs tʃ (ə) n] A three-syllable word. I strongly say [dʒɛs].

entertainment [ɛn tə ˈteɪn m (ə) nt] A four-syllable word. I strongly say [teɪn]. * 4 Syllable words basically have an accent on the 3rd syllable.

English songs are useful for understanding "syllables". For example, yesterday is "yes ta de y" in katakana, but in English it is [ˈjɛs tə deɪ] and three syllables, one syllable and one note, and [j] and [ɛ] are sung separately. You can not. Learn English syllables and accents while listening to your favorite Western songs.