Is n sound silent in the word assignment?

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mohammedabo

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Is the n sound silent in the word assignment?

 

5jj

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No, but the tongue is not released from the roof of the mouth until after the lips come together for the /m/.
 

5jj

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teechar

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I agree with 5jj, but the start is wrong. It sounds like "ussignment ...". Try again.
 

Tarheel

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I have to disagree with teechar. It sounds perfectly good to me.
 

emsr2d2

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The first syllable is absolutely fine. In BrE, at least, the "a" sounds like "uh". The problem comes at the end. We don't tend to pronounce
"-ment" at the ends of words with the "e" sounding like it does in "bed". "-ment" sounds more like "muhnt".

The "a" at the start and the "e" at the end should be pronounced the same way.
 

Tarheel

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Apparently, there is a slight difference in pronunciation between AmE and BrE. (I doubt that anybody would notice the difference either way.)
 

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emsr2d2

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Say:

Is the 'n' silent in the word "assignment"?

If something is not pronounced it doesn't sound silent. It is silent.
I think you parsed the question wrong. I believe the OP meant "n sound" as a noun.

Is the "n sound" silent?

If they'd intended "sound" to be a verb, the question would have been "Does the "n" sound silent?"
 

Tarheel

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Well, if the 'n' is not pronounced it's silent. Anyhow, it clearly is pronounced in that audio.
 

mohammedabo

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Yes, y
I think you parsed the question wrong. I believe the OP meant "n sound" as a noun.

Is the "n sound" silent?

If they'd intended "sound" to be a verb, the question would have been "Does the "n" sound silent?"
Yes, you are right.
 

mohammedabo

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The first syllable is absolutely fine. In BrE, at least, the "a" sounds like "uh". The problem comes at the end. We don't tend to pronounce
"-ment" at the ends of words with the "e" sounding like it does in "bed". "-ment" sounds more like "muhnt".

The "a" at the start and the "e" at the end should be pronounced the same way.
I tried to do that ;
 

teechar

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No. That's no good. Stick to your own pronunciation, but just go easy on the "e".
 

emsr2d2

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I think you're trying too hard to enunciate all the letters. Listen to the 5 examples of the pronunciation of "assignment" HERE. I suggest you bookmark Forvo.com - it's a really helpful tool.
 
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