pronunciation of reloj
How do you pronounce reloj?
4 Answers
You only roll the "r" if it's a double r such as perro. A single r is pronounced the same way as in english. The "j" in spanish is an "h" sound like in "hey" or "ha"
An initial 'r' represents the same sound as does 'rr' (in other contexts). There are a variety of English terms for this sound "multi-tap/flap", "trilled" and "rolled". Neither the sound of the initial/double 'r' nor of the single 'r' exists in English (nor does the retroflex 'r' of English exist in Spanish).
The sound of 'j' varies according to region and can range from a mere aspiration through the 'h' sound of English to a very strong/gutteral velar fricative.
For a more detailed treatment phonetics
If you look up the word on Spanish Dict. There will be a speaker icon next to the word. Click on it and you will here a recording of a native spanish speaker. If for whatever reason you don't have speakers. It is two syllables re-loj. With "re" sounding like the word "red" with out the "d." And with "loj" sounding like the word "low." This pretty much gets you there except there is a slight emphasis on the first syllable "re."
I'm not Spanish but we did this in class. The "r" is rolled, the "l" is as english, the "j" is difficult to describe but closest is the "ch" in Scottish "Och !"
Hope this helps. Not an easy word for the anglo tongue.
Regards,
Certainly, the Spanish Dict. pronunciation option is the best guide.
The second syllable is accented slightly. "Rolling an r" is not term that I've heard in phonetics. The 'rr' in 'perro' is pronounced as an alveolar trill, and the 'r' in 'pero' is pronounced as an alveolar flap. To my ear, this flap is different from the typical 'r' in English, which is an alveolar approximant or a retroflex approximant. (I used to call approximants "semi-vowels".) The IPA symbols for these are different, as are the UniCode designations.
