accent

Forms

accent n (plural accente)^[1]

Etymology

It is a borrowing with several sources: borrowed from French accent, with Latin accentus beside it, as DEX, MDA2 and Marcu give it,^[2][3][4] to which DELR adds Italian accento, also named by Tiktin.^[5][6] The DA gives Latin as the source, with French for the figurative senses.^[7] Wiktionary gives French alone.^[1] The old variant acțent is from German Akzent or the Latin word read with the pronunciation of Central Europe.^[5]

The Latin noun, “intonation, accent”, is formed on accinō (“to sing to”), from ad- and canō (“to sing”).^[1][8] It was made to translate Ancient Greek προσῳδία (prosōidía, “song sung to music; accent”), from πρός (prós, “to”) and ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “song”).^[1][5] The French word was borrowed from Latin in 1220.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is from Gheorghe Șincai in 1783.^[6] DELR's is the variant acțent in 1785.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The first sense was the prominence given to a syllable and the sign that marks it, a term of grammar.^[5][7] From it came “manner of pronunciation”, as in speaking with a foreign accent, and the figurative “tone, strain”: Costache Negruzzi wrote of the nightingale's skilful accente.^[7][3] Music took it for the stress on a note, and the figurative sense “importance, emphasis” lives in a pune accentul pe “to lay stress on”.^[5][2] The plural is accente, more rarely accenturi.^[7][3]

Timeline

• 1783 – first record, in Gheorghe Șincai.^[6]
• 1785 – the variant acțent.^[5]
• c. 1832 – the verb accentua, first as accenta, in Iordache Golescu.^[5]
• 1833 – accentuație in Săulescu's grammar.^[5]
• 1872 – accente “strains, tones” in Costache Negruzzi's poems.^[3][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. stress: the stronger or higher pronunciation of a syllable in a word, or of a word in a phrase; also the written sign that marks it or another feature of pronunciation, as in accent ascuțit “acute accent”.^[2][3]
2. A particular way of pronouncing typical of a dialect, a language or a mood: Vorbea românește cu accent englezesc.^[2][10]
3. (music) The bringing out of a note by louder sound or longer duration.^[2]
4. (figurative) emphasis, importance: a pune accentul pe ceva “to lay stress on something”.^[2][4]

Word family

• accentua
• accentuație

Related words

• Latin accentus
• French accent

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 5
3. ^ a b c d e Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 6
4. ^ a b Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. accent
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2011–), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române (DELR), vol. I: A–B (2011), vol. II: C (2015–2018), București: Editura Academiei Române; continued online at delr.lingv.ro, p. s.v. accent
6. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. accent
7. ^ a b c d e Academia Română (1913–1949), Dicționarul limbii române (DA), ed. Sextil Pușcariu, tom I (A–B, C, D–De) and tom II (F–I, J–Lojniță), București: Socec / Universul / Monitorul Oficial și Imprimeriile Statului; page scans at cflr-scans.solirom.ro, p. s.v. accent
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. accent