Language Pronunciation Guides

adjective relating to or characterized by guttural sounds, harsh or throaty in character

• The singer's guttural voice resonated throughout the concert hall.
• I couldn't understand what he was saying with his guttural accent.
• His guttural growl scared off the intruders.
• The guttural sound of the engine signaled the start of the race.

noun the rise and fall of the voice in speaking

adjective related to the manner in which intonation is used in speech

• His intonation during the presentation was clear and authoritative.
• I could tell by her intonation that she was not happy with the situation.
• The way he changed his intonation made it seem like he was being sarcastic.
• The intonation of the music rose and fell like waves crashing on the shore.

noun the act or process of nasalizing, or the state of being nasalized

• The phonetic study focused on the nasalization of vowels in different languages.
• I noticed the nasalization of her voice when she had a cold.
• The singer's nasalization of the song made it sound unique.
• The nasalization of the music gave it a haunting quality.

verb to say or articulate (words) clearly and distinctly

adjective having a strong or noticeable quality

• The doctor pronounced the patient's name with perfect clarity.
• I always struggle to pronounce her last name correctly.
• He pronounced himself as the king of the party.
• The success of the new product was pronounced by the increase in sales.

noun a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound

verb not applicable

adjective not applicable

adverb not applicable

pronoun not applicable

preposition not applicable

conjunction not applicable

interjection not applicable

article not applicable

• The musician struggled to find the right rhythm for the piece.
• I can never seem to get the rhythm right when dancing.
• She's got a good rhythm going with her workout routine.
• Finding the right rhythm in life can lead to a sense of balance and harmony.

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, in this case, 'unaccented' describes a noun or pronoun as not having an accent

• In English pronunciation, the final syllable is often left unaccented.
• She tends to speak quickly and with an unaccented tone.
• I find it easier to understand when people talk in an unaccented way.
• The unaccented details of the painting were easily overlooked by most viewers.

adjective a word that describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun, in this case, 'unpronounced' describes something that cannot be pronounced

• The correct pronunciation of the scientific term was left unpronounced by the speaker.
• She stumbled over the unpronounced name of the restaurant when telling her friends about it.
• The rapper's new stage name is intentionally unpronounced to create intrigue.
• The unpronounced tension between the two colleagues was palpable during the meeting.

noun a speech sound that is produced by comparatively open configuration of the vocal tract

adjective relating to or being a vowel

• In English, there are five vowels: a, e, i, o, and u.
• I always struggle with remembering which letters are vowels.
• Bro, do you even know your vowels?
• She sang with such a pure vowel sound that it brought tears to my eyes.

noun A speech sound or glide that begins with one vowel sound and moves through a second to end in a third, such as the sounds represented by the vowels in 'ire,' 'your,' and 'lower.'

• A triphthong is a combination of three vowel sounds in a single syllable.
• I learned about triphthongs in my linguistics class and found them quite interesting.
• I have no idea what a triphthong is, sounds like some kind of alien language.
• The triphthong of emotions she felt was evident in her tear-streaked face.

noun a single pure vowel sound, as opposed to a diphthong

adjective relating to or denoting a monophthong

• The linguist explained the concept of monophthong in great detail during the seminar.
• I still don't quite understand what a monophthong is, can you explain it in simpler terms?
• Monophthongs are like the basic building blocks of vowel sounds in words.
• Her voice was as clear and pure as a monophthong in a sea of diphthongs.

adjective An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'accentless' describes something that lacks an accent.

• The linguist was impressed by the student's accentless pronunciation of the foreign language.
• She spoke with such an accentless tone that it was hard to tell where she was from.
• He raps with an accentless flow that sets him apart from other artists.
• Her writing style is so clear and concise, it's almost accentless in its delivery.

adjective relating to or based on the relative prominence of syllables in a word, phrase, or sentence

• The poet used accentual meter to create a structured rhythm in the poem.
• I find it easier to read poems with accentual patterns rather than strict syllabic ones.
• I'm not a fan of accentual poetry, it just doesn't click with me.
• Her accentual speech added a touch of elegance to her storytelling.

noun a mark or symbol used in writing or printing to indicate where the stress should be placed in a word