3 syllables: ad, journ, ment. Stress on journ.
uh-JURN-muhnt
/əˈdʒɝnmənt/
adjournment is pronounced uh-JURN-muhnt (/əˈdʒɝnmənt/). It has three syllables (ad-journ-ment), with the stress on "journ". Adjournment is the formal suspension of a meeting or session, typically to resume later. It denotes the act of postponing proceedings and ending a current phase, with an implicit expectation that business will continue after a break. The term is used in legal, parliamentary, and formal organizational contexts to designate temporary interruption rather than termination.
Adjournment is the formal suspension of a meeting or session, typically to resume later. It denotes the act of postponing proceedings and ending a current phase, with an implicit expectation that business will continue after a break. The term is used in legal, parliamentary, and formal organizational contexts to designate temporary interruption rather than termination.
- You may overpronounce the first syllable, producing a full /æ/ instead of a reduced /ə/. Practice by starting with a shallow vowel and stepping into the /ə/ sound. - The /ˈdʒɜːrn/ vs /ˈdʒɜːn/ distinction: in some accents you drop the r after the vowel; preserve the r-coloring in rhotic accents (US) or avoid it in non-rhotic (UK/AU) as appropriate. Practice with a careful pause between the second vowel and the final /n/ to avoid running the syllables together. - Finally, the final -ment should have a light, almost silent /t/; don’t attach the /t/ to the /n/. Try a short, crisp /t/ after a gentle /mənt/.
"The senate called for an adjournment until next Tuesday."
"After a brief recess, the judge declared an adjournment to reconvene in the morning."
"The council chair announced an immediate adjournment due to inclement weather."
Pronounce as a-ˈdʒɜːrn-ment. Primary stress falls on the second syllable: /əˈdʒɜːrn.mənt/ (US) or /əˈdʒɜːn.mənt/ (UK/AU). The first syllable is a schwa, the second syllable carries the /ˈdʒɜːr/ or /ˈdʒɜːn/ cluster, and the final -ment is a quick /mənt/. Note the rhotic vs non-rhotic differences mostly affect the r-in /ɜːr/ in rhotic accents. IPA: US /əˈdʒɜːrn.mənt/; UK /əˈdʒɜːn.mənt/; AU /əˈdʒɜːn.mənt/.
Common errors: (1) Overloading the first syllable as a full 'a' instead of a schwa: say /ə/ not /æ/. (2) Misplacing stress by saying 'AD-journ-ment' instead of 'ad-JOURN-ment'; keep primary stress on the second syllable. (3) Slurring the -ment into the previous consonant, producing /ɜːn.ment/ instead of /ɜːrn.mənt/. Correction: clearly separate /ˈdʒɜːrn/ as the nucleus, then a light /mənt/.
US: rhotacized /ɜːr/ in the nucleus, may sound like /əˈdʒɜːrn.mənt/. UK: non-rhotic; /əˈdʒɜːn.mənt/ with a shorter /ɜː/ and less pronounced /r/ after the vowel. AU: similar to UK, often with a slightly broader vowel quality; you may hear a more centralized /ɜː/ and non-rhotic r. Overall, US emphasizes the /r/ sometimes, UK/AU tend toward non-rhoticity; the secondary syllable is the critical carrier of the /dʒ/ onset and /ɜː/ vowel.
Because of the cluster around the /dʒ/ onset and the vowel quality in the stressed syllable (/ˈdʒɜːr/ or /ˈdʒɜːn/). The combination of a schwa or reduced vowel on the first syllable, followed by a tense mid-back vowel, plus a light, unstressed final -ment can cause reductions and timing errors in fluent speech. Focus on the strong second syllable and keep /dʒ/ crisp before the vowel.
A unique feature is the mid-syllable /ɜːr/ or /ɜːn/ depending on rhoticity; keep the nucleus stable as a single vowel sound, then release into /mənt/. The final /nt/ is often lightly enunciated; avoid a voiceless /nt/ blend with the preceding /ə/. Emphasize the /dʒ/ onset and its palato-alveolar place of articulation for a precise, clipped third quarter.
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- US: emphasize rhotics; the /ɜː/ may be colored with /ɹ/ in rapid speech; keep your tongue high-mid, tip slightly down, with the force on the onset /dʒ/. - UK: lean toward non-rhoticity; drop post-vocalic r; maintain crisp /dʒ/ and /ən/; keep mouth slightly wider for /ɜː/. - AU: similar to UK but with a flatter, broader vowel and less vowel reduction; ensure /ə/ for initial and /ˈdʒɜːn.mənt/; practice with gentle /r/ coloration only in rhotic contexts.
Adjournment comes from the Old French word ajouter (to add) and the Latin ad- (toward) plus cornu (horn or edge) in the sense of bringing something toward a close. The form adjourn is attested in English from the 14th century, originally meaning to turn away or withdraw, and by the 15th century shifting toward a legislative sense of postponing a session. The suffix -ment, from Latin -mentum, marks a noun describing the result or action (the act of adjourn). Over time, adjournment specialized in legal and parliamentary domains to mean a formal postponement of a meeting or trial. First known uses appear in parliamentary records and legal writs of the late medieval period, solidifying its current, ritualized sense as a procedural pause rather than an end.
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Words that rhyme with "adjournment"
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