Difference between revisions of "Language/Dutch/Grammar/Accent-Marks-and-Stress"
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<p>It's important to note that accent marks can change the meaning of a word. For example, <i>één</i> (one) is different from <i>een</i> (a/an). Make sure to pay attention to accent marks when learning Dutch vocabulary!</p> | <p>It's important to note that accent marks can change the meaning of a word. For example, <i>één</i> (one) is different from <i>een</i> (a/an). Make sure to pay attention to accent marks when learning Dutch vocabulary!</p> | ||
== Stress == | == Stress == |
Revision as of 20:08, 11 March 2023
Hello and welcome to the Dutch Grammar course! In this lesson, we will be focusing on accent marks and stress in Dutch pronunciation. As a Dutch language teacher with 20 years of experience, I believe that using accent marks and stress in the right way can significantly enhance your Dutch pronunciation skills. Let's dive right in!
Accent Marks
Dutch uses accent marks to indicate that the vowel should be pronounced differently than it would be without the accent. There are two accent marks used in Dutch: the acute accent (´) and the diaeresis (¨).
The acute accent is used only on the letter e. It indicates that the e should be pronounced like the vowel è. For example:
Dutch | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
méte | /ˈmeː.tə/ | measure |
The diaeresis is used on the letters ë, ï, and ü. It indicates that the vowel should be pronounced separately from the preceding vowel.
For example:
Dutch | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
knijpfruit | /knɛip.frœit/ | squeezy fruit |
Saïd | /sa:.id/ | Said |
It's important to note that accent marks can change the meaning of a word. For example, één (one) is different from een (a/an). Make sure to pay attention to accent marks when learning Dutch vocabulary!
Stress
Stress is another important aspect of Dutch pronunciation. In Dutch, stress always falls on the first syllable of a word.
For example:
Dutch | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
appël | /a.ˈpɛl/ | apple |
tuincentrum | /ˈtœy̯n.ˌsɛn.trʏm/ | garden centre |
However, there are some exceptions to this rule, mainly in loan words from other languages. In these cases, the stress may fall on a different syllable than the first.
For example:
Dutch | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
drama | /ˈdra.ma/ | drama |
potato | /pə.ˈtei.tou/ | potato |
If you're not sure where the stress falls in a particular Dutch word, it's always a good idea to look it up in a reliable Dutch dictionary.
Further Resources
For more information on Dutch pronunciation, I recommend checking out the following sources: