What is an accent?

Answer 1

An accent is some form of stronger articulation on the first syllable of a word, the emphasis on something in general, a mark or character used in writing, such as an acute accent or a circumflex, or an emphasis of tone.

Answer 2

There are several kinds of accents. One, as mentioned elsewhere on this page, refers to placing stress or emphasis on a certain syllable when pronouncing a word. This can change the word's meaning: CON-tent (usually plural-- the contents of a package refer to what the package contains) versus conTENT (a synonym for happy or satisfied-- she is perfectly content to sit and read) for example. The other kind of accent refers to how people speak their native or adopted language. I'm from Boston, and some people think we all pronounce words like "car" as if it's "caah." Some people from the south pronounce the letter "e" like an "i"-- so, pen might sound like pin. And people for whom English isn't their native language sometimes have difficulty with pronunciation-- the students had a hard time understanding the professor because he spoke English with a very strong accent.

Answer 3

An accent is a distinctive way of pronouncing words that is characteristic of a particular region, social group, or individual. It can involve differences in pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm compared to standard or expected speech patterns. Accents can be influenced by factors such as geography, culture, and language background.