Question

How do you pronounce the words "prologue" and "epilogue"?

Answer 1

Hint:
1. How we say words means the pronunciation. Most individuals speak the standard English dialect with an accent that belongs to the part of the world they come from or reside in.
2. British English learners usually hear RP (received pronunciation), which is an accent frequently used by language learners on the BBC and other news media and in some course materials, But hearing a variety of regional English accents from all over the world is also popular.


Complete answer:
i) Prologue: The prologue is pronounced as a prolog.
The word 'prologue' originates from the root word's log meaning 'speech' and the prefix pro- meaning 'before.' It's the fore-word, literally. Prologues originate in the spoken introductory sections that would often precede dramas of the early modern period.
ii) Epilogue: The epilogue is pronounced epilog.
An epilogue or epilogue is a piece of writing at the end of a literary work, generally used to close the work.
Tips to pronounce the words:
- Break down 'prologue' and 'epilogue' into sounds: [PROH] + [LOG] and [EPI] + [LOG] - say it out aloud and exaggerate the sounds until we can create them consistently.
- In complete sentences, record yourself saying 'prologue' and then watch yourself and listen. You would be able to recognize the errors very quickly.
- Focus on one accent: it can get very confusing to mix multiple accents, especially for beginners, so pick and stick to one accent (US or UK).

Note:
1. A significant aspect of pronunciation is also how we use spoken stress and rhythm.
2. It is important to know that the syllables are stressed in a word and how various patterns of stressed and the unstressed syllables are pronounced.
3. There are also common intonation patterns in English that allow us to give specific words, phrases, and sentences special emphasis.