Is the "J" silent? Ray-loh?
2007-08-27 05:56:55 · 12 answers · asked by Blackfire 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
'R' as in the first letter of Railroad . . . . . . . ."R"ailroad
'e' as in the 'ea' in head: . . . . . . . . H "ea" d
'loh' as in the pronunciation of aloha . . . . . . . . A"loh"a
R.e.l.o.j
"Raylow", "RElow", REEloo or any other such pronounciation or combination that makes it sound like lay-low or gee-lou is incorrect.
Additionally, any suggestion of a 'ch' or 'j' at the end is also incorrect as the H is pretty silent (even in the correct Castillian form which can be something akin to the gutteral sound in some German words).
Good luck!
2007-08-27 06:25:49 · answer #1 · answered by Mrs. Smith 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The letter "j" is Spanish is pronounced similarly to the letter "h" in English but more "roughly" or "scrapily", a bit like the "ch" sound in the German name "Bach". In some Spanish speaking countries it is pronounced more strongly than others, and probably has the strongest sound in the standard Spanish of Spain (although less so in some southern Spanish accents such as Andalusian).
Nevertheless it is always pronounced even at the end of a word; this can be tricky for English speakers who are not used to pronouncing an "h" sound at the end of a word. That it when it is OK to pronounce it like German "ch".
So "reloj" - which means "clock" or "watch" is pronounced: "ray-loHH"
2007-08-27 06:07:23 · answer #2 · answered by GrahamH 7 · 6⤊ 2⤋
I pronounce it (rolling r) Rre loh...I was raised around carribean, south & central american spanish speakers so "ray loh" sounds kinda funny to me.
2007-08-27 06:15:26 · answer #3 · answered by huh? 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yup, you got it.
The "J" is silent, so the pronunciation is "ray-LOH," with the accent on the second syllable. The "loh" has just a **hint** of an "h" sound in it.
2007-08-27 06:02:00 · answer #4 · answered by Navigator 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
ray loh with the h sound rough in the back of the throat
2007-09-02 10:44:47 · answer #5 · answered by christy 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's one of the very few words that my Spanish-English dictionary bothers to give a phonetic transcription to - and yes, the /j/ is not pronounced in this case, although when I've asked some native Spaniards, they say it is pronounced; but in unguarded speach, it isn't.
2007-08-27 07:50:19 · answer #6 · answered by JJ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The letter "J" or -jota is not silent.It has the same Spanish sound as the 'X' in Mexico,The "g" in Argentina or th ' J' in Hijo..Like the 'CH' in Scottish -Loch- or the sound of ' G' in the Dutch language.It does not sound like an 'H' In Spanish an 'H' is never pronounced.
2007-08-27 07:44:53 · answer #7 · answered by Don Verto 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
ok. it's pronounced 'reh-LOCH'
you roll the 'r' gently, the 'e' has a short e sound (as in the word 'send') and the 'CH' is the guttural rolling sound (kinda like if you were trying to get rid of a 'loogie'). This 'CH' sound is to be pronounced softly...not too loud or obnoxious.
Hope this helps.
2007-08-27 07:22:54 · answer #8 · answered by prazegrl7 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Reloj.
Actually that is a good question. It should not be, but it is pronounced so weakly that frequently is practically silent
2007-08-27 06:44:19 · answer #9 · answered by nadie 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
the j is silent, it sounds like Ray-Low
2007-09-01 20:21:25 · answer #10 · answered by oneblondepilgrim 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋