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How to Read Diacritical Marks

Johannes Gutenberg ("Beautiful-mountain"), inventor in 1455 of movable type, was born Johannes Gensfleisch ("Gooseflesh"). Gutenberg's printing press and his first printed book, the Gutenberg Bible, led to a revolution in knowledge transfer in the Western world. Language, which before Gutenberg had been primarily spoken and written, could now be effectively printed. Diacritical marks play an important role in the written and printed rendition of spoken words and their pronunciation. If you are interested in languages and their many permutations, diacritical marks are worth learning.

Instructions

    • 1

      Look for two dots placed over a vowel such as u. This is an umlaut. Read the vowel to rhyme with the sound of oo in "moon" when the umlaut is over a u.

    • 2

      Look for a forward-leaning accent mark over a vowel such as e. This is an acute accent. Read the vowel to rhyme with the sound of a in "day" when the acute accent is over an e.

    • 3

      Look for a backward-leaning accent mark over a vowel such as e. This is a grave accent. A grave accent indicates a fall in pitch or a change in stress. In English poetry, for example, a grave accent indicates that you place stress on the accented syllable. Read "This cursed day," for example, with stress on the ed in "cursed" if there is an accent grave over the e in ed.

    • 4

      Look for a small twist at the bottom of a c. This is a cedilla. Pronounce this c like the c in "cent" or "facade."

    • 5

      Look for a wavy line over a vowel such as a. This is a tilde. The tilde indicates nasality when it's over a vowel. Pronounce the vowel more in your nose than in your mouth.

    • 6

      Look for a wavy line over an n. This mark is a tilde also, but a Spanish n with a tilde is considered a letter in itself; it is not a letter with a diacritical mark. Pronounce this n with an "ny" sound.

    • 7

      Look for an o with a forward slash through it. The slash is called a "stod." Pronounce this o with an "uh" sound.

    • 8

      Look for a c with a wedge over it. This wedge is a caron. Pronounce a c with this diacritical mark with a soft sound like the "ch" in "chalk."

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