Difference between revisions of "Language/Kazakh/Grammar/Stress-and-Intonation"

Revision as of 18:24, 29 March 2023

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Kazakh Grammar → Kazakh Pronunciation → Stress and Intonation

Stress and intonation are crucial factors in understanding and speaking Kazakh. In this lesson, we will cover the stress and intonation patterns of Kazakh words and phrases.

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Compound Prepositions and Postpositions & Questions.

Stress

In Kazakh, stress is generally placed on the last syllable of a word. However, there are some exceptions. Here are the rules:

Words ending in the vowel sounds "ы", "у", "о", and "э" are stressed on the penultimate syllable, or second-to-last syllable. Examples:

Kazakh	Pronunciation	English
бүйүк	büyük	big
сөздер	sözder	words
сөйлесу	söylesu	conversation

Words ending in the vowel sounds "а", "ә", "і", "е", and "ө" are stressed on the final syllable. Examples:

Kazakh	Pronunciation	English
қазақ	qazaq	Kazakh
ертең	erteng	morning
адам	adam	person

Words that end in consonants are usually stressed on the last syllable. Examples:

Kazakh	Pronunciation	English
қалай?	qalay?	how?
тұйық	tuyıq	quiet
батыр	batır	hero

There are some loanwords in Kazakh that do not follow these rules. In such cases, stress is indicated by a stress mark ( ́ ) above the stressed vowel. Examples:

Kazakh	Pronunciation	English
кафе	kafé	café
телефон	telefón	telephone

Intonation

Intonation is the rise and fall of the voice when speaking. It is used to convey meaning, emotion, and emphasis. In Kazakh, rising intonation generally indicates a question, while falling intonation indicates a statement or a fact. For example:

Қазақстанда жүресіңдер бе? (Qazaqstanda juresinder be?) - Are you walking in Kazakhstan?
Қазақстанда жүресіңдер. (Qazaqstanda juresinder.) - You are walking in Kazakhstan.

It is important to note that some statements in Kazakh may have rising intonation when expressing surprise, disbelief, or seeking confirmation.

Intonation can also be used to emphasize specific words or phrases. For example:

Мен Казахстанда өткенімді өте ұнай көріп жүрдім. (Men Qazaqstanda ötkendimdi öte unay körıp jürdim.) - I walked in Kazakhstan and was really amazed by what I saw.

In this sentence, the speaker emphasizes the phrase "өте ұнай көріп" (really amazed) by using rising intonation on "ұнай."

Practice

To practice stress and intonation in Kazakh, try reading Kazakh texts out loud and paying attention to the stress patterns and intonation. You can also listen to Kazakh songs or watch Kazakh movies or TV shows to familiarize yourself with the language sounds and rhythms.

Sources

Table of Contents - Kazakh Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Kazakh Pronunciation

Greetings and Basic Expressions

Kazakh Cases

Food and Drink

Verbs

Traditions and Customs

Family and Relationships

Adjectives

Traveling and Directions

Pronouns

Shopping and Consumerism

Art and Literature

Adverbs

Health and Medical Emergencies

Sports and Recreation

Prepositions and Postpositions

Nature and Environment

Other Lessons

◀️ Vowels — Previous Lesson	Next Lesson — Meeting and Greeting ▶️

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