French Conversation · Level 19
89 words
French word
accent
Pronunciation
IPA/aksɑ̃/
Meaning
- masculine nounaccent
Example
On entend un accent du sud quand il parle.
You can hear a southern accent when he speaks.
More examples
Il a un accent prononcé quand il parle sa langue maternelle.
He has a pronounced accent when he speaks his mother tongue.
Core concept
A speaker's voice carries a recognizable sound pattern that marks an individual, group, or region.
Common phrases
avoir un accent
have an accent
accent prononcé
pronounced accent
Similar words
prononciation: How individual sounds and words are pronounced.
intonation: The rise and fall of pitch and stress in speech.
Definition in French
Façon de prononcer propre à une personne, un groupe ou une région, perceptible par des différences de sons et d'intonation.
Word origin
French accent comes through Old French from Latin accentus, related to accinere, 'to sing along', and its sense developed from vocal modulation to pronunciation.
Usage tips
- Accent is masculine, so the usual form is un accent; written marks are also called accents, as in accent aigu.
Other meanings
- stressnoun
Related words
- accentuationaccentuationnoun
- accentuépronouncedadjective