German Conversation · Level 49
73 words
German word
Akzent
Pronunciation
IPA/akˈtsɛnt/
Meaning
- masculine nounaccent
Example
Man hört seinen Akzent sofort.
You can hear his accent right away.
More examples
Viele Sprachlernende versuchen, ihren Akzent zu reduzieren, um leichter verstanden zu werden.
Many language learners try to reduce their accent so that they will be understood more easily.
Core concept
The word covers both the audible coloring of someone's speech and the prominence given to a particular syllable.
Common phrases
einen starken Akzent haben
have a strong accent
seinen Akzent ablegen
lose one's accent
einen regionalen Akzent erkennen
recognize a regional accent
Similar words
Aussprache: The way a word or sound is pronounced.
Betonung: Extra emphasis placed on a particular syllable or part of a sentence.
Intonation: The pattern of rising and falling pitch across speech.
Dialekt: A regional variety of speech with its own words, pronunciation, and expressions.
Definition in German
Akzent bezeichnet die meist regional oder individuell geprägte Art der Aussprache; fachsprachlich kann es auch Betonung meinen.
Word origin
German borrowed Akzent via French accent from Latin accentus, whose meaning included the manner of raising or emphasizing the voice.
Usage tips
- English accent can cover both pronunciation and stress, but German often uses Akzent for pronunciation and Betonung for stress.
Other meanings
- stressnoun
Opposites
- Akzentfreiheitabsence of an accentnoun
Related words
- akzentfreiaccent-freeadjective
- akzentuierenaccentuateverb
- Akzentuierungaccentuationnoun