Homographs are very interesting, this is when you have a word that can be pronounced two different ways and has two different meaning.
This can cause a lot of trouble when you are reading, as you may see the word and think it is said one way, when in fact it is said differently …and means something else.
The only real example I can think of in Japanese is the letter – は
I am sure you know how to pronounce this its “ha” …but what happens when you see it at the end of the word – こんにちは …its now pronounced “wa”.
You can read the words below, but this is going to make more sense if you watch the video below and hear me say the two pronunciations / meanings of the words
Vocabulary – 語彙
Read
Tear
Bow
Bass
Row
Lead
Polish
Live
Wind
Wound
Minute
Record
Present
Desert – to leave /sandy area …not dessert, like cakes
I also think it is important to note that this is not the same as American and British pronouncing things differently.
If we take the words – premier – it is said differently in American and Britain … but it means the same thing, it means “1st”. The words in the list above sound different …and have different meanings.
Video
Return to: Intermediate English
Ian is the owner and main writer of Reaching Fluency. He is a native English speaker, French speaker and Japanese learner and general lover of language learning.
You can read more about him on his Authors Page or link with him on social media
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