I. ac ‧ cent 1 /ˈæks ə nt $ ˈæksent/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin accentus , from ad- 'to' + cantus 'song' ]
1 . the way someone pronounces the words of a language, showing which country or which part of a country they come from ⇨ dialect :
He had a strong Irish accent
2 . the accent is on something if the accent is on a particular quality, feeling etc, special importance is given to it:
accommodation with the accent on comfort
3 . the part of a word that you should emphasize when you say it SYN stress
accent on
In the word ‘dinner’ the accent is on the first syllable.
4 . a written mark used above or below particular letters in some languages to show how to pronounce that letter
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have an accent
The man had a Spanish accent.
▪ speak with an accent
She spoke with an accent that I couldn’t understand.
▪ pick up an accent
During his stay in England, he had picked up an English accent.
▪ lose your accent (=no longer speak with an accent)
After five years in Europe, Ricky had lost his American accent.
▪ put on an accent (=deliberately speak with a different accent from your usual one)
When mum’s on the phone, she puts on a funny accent.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + accent
▪ a strong/broad/thick/pronounced accent (=very noticeable)
She spoke with a strong Scottish accent.
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a broad Australian accent
▪ a slight/faint accent
He has a very slight accent.
▪ a French/American etc accent
I noticed that he had a Spanish accent.
▪ a New York/London etc accent
The woman had a Chicago accent.
▪ a foreign accent
I got a call from a man with a foreign accent.
▪ a southern/northern accent
He spoke with a lovely soft southern accent.
▪ a regional accent (=from a particular area of a country)
If you have a regional accent, don’t try to hide it.
▪ an upper-class/middle-class/working-class accent
Sebastian spoke with an upper-class accent.
▪ a posh/plummy accent British English informal (=an upper-class accent)
a tall man with a posh accent
■ nouns
▪ a hint/trace of an accent
I could detect the hint of a German accent in her voice.
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THESAURUS
■ different kinds of language
▪ dialect a form of a language that is spoken in one area of a country, with different words, grammar, or pronunciation from other areas:
Cantonese is only one of many Chinese dialects.
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the local dialect
▪ accent the way that someone pronounces words, because of where they were born or live, or their social class:
Karen has a strong New Jersey accent.
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an upper class accent
▪ slang very informal spoken language, used especially by people who belong to a particular group, for example young people or criminals:
Teenage slang changes all the time.
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‘Dosh’ is slang for ‘money’.
▪ terminology formal the technical words or expressions that are used in a particular subject:
musical terminology
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Patients are often unfamiliar with medical terminology.
▪ jargon especially disapproving words and phrases used in a particular profession or subject and which are difficult for other people to understand:
The instructions were written in complicated technical jargon.
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‘Outsourcing’ is business jargon for sending work to people outside a company to do.
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The letter was full of legal jargon.
II. ac ‧ cent 2 /əkˈsent $ ˈæksent/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to make something more noticeable so that people will pay attention to it SYN highlight :
Use make-up to accent your cheekbones and eyes.
2 . technical to emphasize a part of a word in speech