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accent

[/ˈæk.sent/ (noun), /əkˈsent/ (verb)]
noun/verbmasculinepl: accents
sotaque (noun); acento (noun); acentuar (verb)
1. A distinctive way of pronouncing a language, often indicating the speaker's origin or native language
She speaks English with a French accent.
Ela fala inglês com sotaque francês.
2. A mark or symbol placed above or below a letter to indicate pronunciation or stress
The word 'café' has an accent on the final e.
A palavra 'café' tem um acento na letra final e.
3. Special emphasis or importance given to something
The company puts great accent on customer service.
A empresa coloca grande acento no atendimento ao cliente.
4. To pronounce a word or syllable with greater emphasis or stress (verb)
You should accent the first syllable of this word.
Você deveria acentuar a primeira sílaba desta palavra.
NYC Slang
accent (New York accent is a specific regional pronunciation pattern)
Synonyms
intonationinflectionbroguedialectemphasisstress

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
sotaque
Most common term for pronunciation accent/dialect
General Brazilian
acento
Used for written accent marks and phonetic stress
Portugal
sotaque
Same as Brazilian Portuguese for spoken accent
Portugal
acento gráfico
More formal term for written accent marks

Related Idioms & Phrases

put accent on something (dar ênfase a algo)
speak with an accent (falar com sotaque)
lose one's accent (perder o sotaque)
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