# Accent on words starting with the "on-" prefix



## dwanawijaya

Dag allemaal: 

Why is onrustig pronounced [ɔnˈrʏstəx], but ongeluk is pronounced [ˈɔnxəlʏk]?  Both are negating words, but the former has the accent on the second syllable, while the latter has it on the first syllable?

Another question:
- onweer: is it pronounced [ɔnˈwer] or [ˈɔnwer]?  I think it's the latter, but I have found a dictionary entry using the former.


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## jedna

Hello,

Concerning your second question, look here: Nederlands uitspraken gids

As to your first question:Structuur en geschiedenis van het Nederlands :: Niederländische Philologie FU Berlin
Maybe it helps?


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## dwanawijaya

Hi Jedna, thank you very much for the links, especially the second one, because that's an entirely new website for me.  I have bookmarked this for the moment, and will read it again later on when my Dutch level is higher.


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## jedna

Hello dwanawijaya,

Graag gedaan
Maybe someone can help you better than I did, especially concerning your first question.


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## P2Grafn0l

dwanawijaya said:


> Why is onrustig pronounced [ɔnˈrʏstəx], but ongeluk is pronounced [ˈɔnxəlʏk]?



- Because the adjective _onrustig_ negates the adjective _rustig, _and _een ongeluk/an accident_ is an indefinite article plus a noun. 
So, all _on-_ adjectives should get a little pause like this: on'rustig, and therefore, all _on-_ nouns should not get the aforementioned.


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## dwanawijaya

P2Grafn0l said:


> - Because the adjective _onrustig_ negates the adjective _rustig, _and _een ongeluk/an accident_ is an indefinite article plus a noun.
> So, all _on-_ adjectives should get a little pause like this: on'rustig, and therefore, all _on-_ nouns should not get the aforementioned.


Thank you, that clarifies things! How about _ongeacht _(irrespective)_?_  I've heard the pronunciation 'ongeacht but is this not a negation of the adjective _geacht_ (respected), and should therefore be onge'acht_?_


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## P2Grafn0l

dwanawijaya said:


> and should therefore be onge'acht_?_



_Onge'acht_ is a preposition, but the same word _ongeacht_ can be a neuter adjective, as well.  

Example: _Hij is een ongeacht kind._ = Approximately: He is a kid not held dear.


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## dwanawijaya

P2Grafn0l said:


> _Onge'acht_ ...


Bedankt! That's how I also thought the accent should fall on this word.


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## P2Grafn0l

Remember that it's _een on'geacht dier _whenever _ongeacht_ functions as an adjective.


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## P2Grafn0l

dwanawijaya said:


> Bedankt!



Ik heet je welkom, Dwanawijaya!  = I bid you welcome, Dwanawijaya!


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## eno2

DVD online says:

Adjective: acht beklemtoond


> ongeacht
> 1on·ge·acht
> 
> bij attributief gebruik is on beklemtoond
> bijvoeglijk naamwoord
> hij leeft daar onbekend en ongeacht


I would give on and acht both the same accent/stress here. As a matter of fact, I do that. 

Voorzetsel/preposition: on beklemtoond. Accent on on


> ongeacht
> ongeacht de beledigingen die haar werden aangedaan


I would give on the accent here. As a matter of fact, I give it. 

Bijwoord/adverb: Accent on on 


> ongeacht
> bijwoord
> ongeacht hoeveel het inkomen bedraagt


I would give on the accent here. As a matter of fact, I give it.


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## dwanawijaya

Thank you for your kind help!


eno2 said:


> DVD online says:


I'm new to the forum.  What resource is this one?  I searched in the two stickied topics for Dutch Resources, but couldn't find it.


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## P2Grafn0l

Dear Eno2,

What really separates the _on-_ adjectives from the rest, is the stress on _on-_.
But, yes, you are right about the two stresses on the adjective on·ge·acht.
Never in this life, I have tried to explain anything like the above, so I did quite well, I think. 

And where is there an adjective in: "_Hij leeft daar onbekend en ongeacht._"? 
How does he [actually] live there? - In a certain way, right? 
Those two can't be adjectives, unless you deliberately omitted (the personal pronoun,) the conjunction and the linking verb 'en (hij) is'.

_Hij leeft daar onbekend en ongeacht._ = Personal pronoun + third person singular verb + adverb + adverb + conjunction + adverb. 

In English, one does not say: He lives [un]happy. (Incorrect usage of an adjective.) 
However, one can say: He lives [un]happily. = Hij leeft [on]gelukkig. (Op een ongelukkige manier/In an unpleasant way.) 

An example of the correct usage of an adjective: 
He is [un]happy. = Hij is [on]gelukkig.


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## eno2

dwanawijaya said:


> Thank you for your kind help!
> 
> I'm new to the forum.  What resource is this one?  I searched in the two stickied topics for Dutch Resources, but couldn't find it.


Hello, welcome.
DVD stands for 'Drieledige Van Dale', more commonly called 'Dikke Van Dale'.
Indeed, in resources there is only this single, indirect reference to Van Dale: => 





Kriem said:


> De *driedelige Van Dale*?



That's because the access to the DVD is behind a (also thick) paywall. The free online version is very reduced and you can find it here:

Van Dale. Van Dale Uitgevers

It's commonly called, also by themselves,
 the 'Dikke Van Dale', meaning 'the big Van Dale', literally the thick Van Dale (dik=thick) . It's undisputedly the most authoritative dictionary in Dutch,  therefore I like to quote profusely out of the DVD onine.

@P2:

That 'ongeacht' accent question struck me as interesting, not because of any doubt that I have   - I use the accents on those 'on'- structures quite instictively,  don't even have nor want to think about it nor need the rules and their 'theories' -  but because I was very interested about how and where DVD would mark stresses.

For non-native speakers this must indeed cause headaches. Normally, one can stress the 'on', in 'ongeacht', but precisely the 'adjective' use of 'ongeacht' has other stresses...



> And where is there an adjective in: "_Hij leeft daar onbekend en ongeacht._"?



Now, as I quoted before, DVD gives this example of 'ongeacht' used as an adjective:



> 1on·ge·acht
> 
> bij attributief gebruik is on beklemtoond
> bijvoeglijk naamwoord
> hij leeft daar onbekend en ongeacht



Accent on 'acht'.

Which I disputed the way I did.

As for calling 'ongeacht' an adjective here, I think that's right. I'm certainly not going to contact DVD editing staff (as I did on  some other occasions) in order to dispute that qualification.  But you can do so if you want to.


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## P2Grafn0l

eno2 said:


> That 'ongeacht' accent question struck me as interesting, not because of any doubt that I have - I use the accents on those 'on'- structures quite instinctively, don't even have nor want to think about it nor need the rules and their 'theories' - but because I was very interested about how and where DVD would mark stresses.



Same here, Eno2. 
I really don't stress about where to put the stress and whatnot, not in any language.
Things like that you just do or they come with certain exposure, like eureka! 



eno2 said:


> As for calling 'ongeacht' an adjective here, I think that's right.



Just because Dutch adjectives and adverbs look the same, does not mean that they function as adjectives there.


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## eno2

P2Grafn0l said:


> Just because Dutch adjectives and adverbs look the same, does not mean that they function as adjectives there.


It's not like I invented it myself, as I suggested: you'd probably have a difficult task of convincing  DVD editing staff to retract their first definition of  'ongeacht', wich is that of 'adjective'.


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## P2Grafn0l

Mijn mening is dat er een koppelwerkwoord nodig is, en als dat woord ontbreekt, dan zie ik 'ongeacht' gewoon als een bijwoord.

_Hij leeft daar onbekend en ongeacht._ = Hij leeft daar op een onbekende manier en op een ongeachte manier.

En hier dan, een bijwoord en een adjectief:
_- Hij leeft daar onbekend en (hij) is ongeacht. _= Hij leeft daar op een onbekende manier en hij is daar ongeacht, want de mensen achten hem niet.

En hier zijn het allebei adjectieven:
_- Hij leeft daar en (hij) is onbekend en ongeacht. 
_
 Als de persoon op een bepaalde manier leeft, hoeft hij (grammaticaal gezien) niet onbekend te zijn en hoeft hij ook niet ongeacht te zijn.


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