Cure for accent blindness

[vita32]

Is Spanish word accent blindness curable?I know I'm being silly here but I seem not to be able to grasp the concept that lots of Spanish words have accent marks.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Accents may seem gratuitous if you don't understand what they're for. Their function is to tell you how to pronounce words, and where they're stressed. Sometimes they're also there to mark the difference of meaning between words.


According to the syllable where they're stressed, Spanish has three kinds of words: agudas, graves/llanas, esdrújulas.


Palabras agudas: words that are stressed at the last syllable.
Palabras graves: words that are stressed at the second syllable, counting from the last one.
Palabras esdrújulas: words that are stressed at the third syllable, counting from the end of the word.


Written accent on palabras agudas: They end with n, s, or a vocal vowel.
-> nación, compás, hindú...
Palabras agudas without a written accent: they end with any consonant, except n or s.
-> calor, formal, cabaret...

Palabras graves with a written accent: they end with any consonant, except n or s.
-> árbol, nácar, álbum...
Palabras graves without a written accent: they end with n, s, or a vocal vowel.

-> examen, acentos, casa...

Palabras esdrújulas: They all bear a written accent.
-> brújula, atmósfera, pánico...


Here are also some threads where this has been explained:
http://forums.tomisimo.org/showthread.php?t=1450
http://forums.tomisimo.org/showthread.php?t=5939


...and a deeper and more formal explanation here: http://www.elcastellano.org/acentos.html

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

... words that are stressed on the last syllable

... end with n, s, or a vowel.

[Perikles]

In this respect, Spanish is very much easier than English, where you have very little idea where a stress is located. There seems to be very clear rules in Spanish, and very few in English.

For example - I bet you don't know where the stress is on the word arithmetic. You can't know out of context, because it depends whether the word is a noun or an adjective.

The written accent in Spanish makes it much easier (as long as you can differentiate between i and í )

[JPablo]

I agree with Perikles, just one point, though, "aritmética" has he "accent" or "tilde" over the "e". Like "ética" and "estética" and "la receta diurética" (but now I am going too far...)

[Perikles]

er- I don't actually see your point.

[vita32]

Thank you all for your helpful hints, especially to Angelica for giving me examples of the three types of Spanish accented words and the links

@Perikles, I have to admit that I'm pretty much blind in recognizing "i" and "í" at this point, but at least I know that I am and now I have to develop eyes to see them and know the difference(Oh, brother!!!)

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Rusty: Of course!!
Thank you!!

[JosephThomas]

I found this thread rather valuable and interesting.

However i find English much easier personally.
Stress is pronounced by vowel placement, vowel consonant combination, and a general rule.

In this respect, Spanish is very much easier than English, where you have very little idea where a stress is located. There seems to be very clear rules in Spanish, and very few in English.

In Ar-ith-mah-tic or Ar-ith-meh-tic,
the A is not stressed because I cannot surpass a consonant to emphasize it. The I is not because there is no vowel emphasizing it or a rule applying to it. Again no stress on the E because of the I. The final I takes moderate stress because you must emphasize the C, Ic.

hope that helped.. and was truthful [¿(y es verdad)?]

Mucho Gracias

[Jessicake]

Originally Posted by vita32

Thank you all for your helpful hints, especially to Angelica for giving me examples of the three types of Spanish accented words and the links

@Perikles, I have to admit that I'm pretty much blind in recognizing "i" and "í" at this point, but at least I know that I am and now I have to develop eyes to see them and know the difference(Oh, brother!!!)

When I was in high school I got bad grades in Spanish because my atrocious handwriting didn't distinguish between i and í!

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by vita32

Is Spanish word accent blindness curable?I know I'm being silly here but I seem not to be able to grasp the concept that lots of Spanish words have accent marks.

I have a question because I have read your post and that don't be clear for me at least in two words you have placed in your post I'm being silly.

I don't know if you wanted to write that (I'm get silly instead being)

Here my other question not very clearing.

What do you want to express with word accent blindness.

Acento ciego literally that says in your sentence in English, then I'm sorry for be a little foolish with the same, but I haven't clear your post at all.

[vita32]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

I have a question because I have read your post and that don't be clear for me at least in two words you have placed in your post I'm being silly.

I don't know if you wanted to write that (I'm get silly instead being)

Here my other question not very clearing.

What do you want to express with word accent blindness.

Acento ciego literally that says in your sentence in English, then I'm sorry for be a little foolish with the same, but I haven't clear your post at all.

Hi Crotalito,

I really meant that I'm being silly (I'm acting silly) because I'm doing a play on words or ideas in expressing what I want to say. I don't pay attention to accent marks therefore it's just like I don't see them. A person who does not see is blind, right? But I'm only blind when it comes to seeing accents and that is why I said I have accent blindness. I hope I made my self clear. If not please ask me to explain further.

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by vita32

Hi Crotalito,

I really meant that I'm being silly (I'm acting silly) because I'm doing a play on words or ideas in expressing what I want to say. I don't pay attention to accent marks therefore it's just like I don't see them. A person who does not see is blind, right? But I'm only blind when it comes to seeing accents and that is why I said I have accent blindness. I hope I made my self clear. If not please ask me to explain further.

Yes already I got it since that point.
Thank you for your explanation, and for pointing me again your commentary.

[vita32]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

I have a question because I have read your post and that don't be clear for me at least in two words you have placed in your post I'm being silly.

I don't know if you wanted to write that (I'm get silly instead being)

Here my other question not very clearing.

What do you want to express with word accent blindness.

Acento ciego literally that says in your sentence in English, then I'm sorry for be a little foolish with the same, but I haven't clear your post at all.

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

Yes already I got it since that point.
Thank you for your explanation, and for pointing me again your commentary.

You're welcome

[JPablo]

Ahí está el quid de la cuestión...

@Perikles, sorry, in your example of "aritmética" and then talking about differenciating the "i" without tilde and with tilde, it gave me impression that you were referring to that...

Maybe I extrapolate a little bit too much, but someone alien to the subject could possibly get it wrong... (or maybe it's just me... in a hurry...)

[JosephThomas]

I know I'm being silly here but I seem not to be able to grasp the concept that lots of Spanish words have accent marks.

CrOtALiTo, I thought I'd rewrite that sentence for you.
" I am aware that this is silly, but I seem to have trouble remembering that Spanish words have accent marks."
(grasp. used to mean ability to obtain understanding.)
Not sure if you needed this.

JPablo.
I liked the words you chose.
i like reading short español sentences in a post. easy learning.

[JPablo]

@JosephThomas,
Me alegro de que te guste mi elección de palabras...
[I am glad you like my word choice...] (literally my 'selection of words']
Me alegro de que te guste leer frases cortas.
[I am glad you like to read short sentences].

(These days I am extra busy... so I don't get to ramble all around with my Spanish verbiage...)

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by JosephThomas

CrOtALiTo, I thought I'd rewrite that sentence for you.
" I am aware that this is silly, but I seem to have trouble remembering that Spanish words have accent marks."
(grasp. used to mean ability to obtain understanding.)
Not sure if you needed this.

JPablo.
I liked the words you chose.
i like reading short español sentences in a post. easy learning.

Yes I accept your correction although I need to use in that phrase the word reach.

Knowing the same you have told me because, you can see something like to this phrase.

I can reach the hight knowledge in my English.
Although I aware of that can means for me.

Thank you for your advices.

[JosephThomas]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

Yes I accept your correction although I need to use in that phrase the word reach.

Knowing the same you have told me because, you can see something like to this phrase.

I can reach the hight knowledge in my English.
Although I aware of that can means for me.

Thank you for your advices.

Grammatical corrections I would make.
"Yes, I accept your correction, although I need to use the word reach (or, 'reach') in that phrase." - CrOtALiTo

"I can reach the height of my knowledge in English."
(I think you should claim possession of knowledge not english, because Knowledge took possession of english)
"Although I am aware of what that means for me."

Advice

hope that was helpful

God Bless

[CrOtALiTo]

Not really, I didn't understand the explanation about the possession in the word knowledge and where I should to apply thus rules in English

In the last phrase I wanted to mean, I can reach the high of my knowledge in English.

I'm aware of my goal in the language. Until this time, I should to study more in my grammatical English..

I will willing to know more about.