4 syllables: ob, li, ga, tions. Stress on ga.
ah-bluh-GAY-shuhnz
/ˌɑbləˈɡeɪʃənz/
obligations is pronounced ah-bluh-GAY-shuhnz (/ˌɑbləˈɡeɪʃənz/). It has four syllables (ob-li-ga-tions), with the stress on "ga". Obligations are duties or commitments that require someone to act or refrain from acting in a particular way. They bind a person legally, morally, or socially to fulfill specified tasks, responsibilities, or conditions. This term often appears in legal, financial, and professional contexts where failing to meet obligations can have consequences.
Obligations are duties or commitments that require someone to act or refrain from acting in a particular way. They bind a person legally, morally, or socially to fulfill specified tasks, responsibilities, or conditions. This term often appears in legal, financial, and professional contexts where failing to meet obligations can have consequences.
- You may misplace stress and say ob-LIG-ations or obli-GA-tions too quickly; ensure the primary stress is on GA. - The /tions/ can blur into /ʃənz/ or /ʃənz/ too softly; keep a light but audible /t/ before the /i/ and /ənz/ endings. - The /ɒ/ sound might become a broader /ɒɪ/ or /ɔ/ if you’re not careful; practice with a very short /ɒ/ and crisp /b/.
"You have several legal obligations to disclose conflicts of interest."
"Employees should meet their contractual obligations to maintain benefits."
"Parents have obligations to provide for their children's welfare."
The word is stressed on the third syllable: ob-li-GA-tions. In IPA: US/UK/AU /ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃənz/. Start with the /ɒ/ as in 'hot', move to /b/ with a light release, then /lɪ/ with a relaxed tongue, glide into /ˈɡeɪ/ as in 'gage', and finish with /ʃənz/ like 'shuns' with a quick schwa in the middle. Keep the /ɡ/ soft and avoid an overly explosive release. Practicing the rhythm: two unstressed syllables, then primary stress on GA, followed by a light, clipped ending.
Common errors: over-stressing the initial syllable ob-, producing ob-LIG-ations instead of the expected ob-li-GA-tions; rushing the GA syllable leading to /ˈɒb.lɪˌɡeɪˌʃənz/ or truncating the ending /tions/ to /ʃənz/. Correction: keep the /ˈɡeɪ/ cluster clear and ensure the /t/ is not silent followed by a crisp /ʃənz/. Practice by isolating the GA-tions sequence and say it slowly with a smooth transition from /ɡ/ to /eɪ/ to /ʃənz/.
In US and UK, the primary stress remains on GA: ob-li-GA-tions; rhoticity affects only if followed by a vowel, not here. US tends to pronounce the /ɒ/ as in 'lot' with broader rhoticity, UK tends to a shorter /ɒ/ in some varieties. Australian speakers often reduce /ɒ/ slightly and maintain a clear /ɡeɪ/; the /t/ is typically a clear /t/ or a soft alveolar tap in rapid speech. Overall, vowel quality of /ɒ/, and the syllable timing, show minor variations, but the GA syllable remains the loudest.
Three challenges: first, the sequence ob-li-GE- followed by /ʃənz/ creates a denasalized sonorant transition that can trip speakers; second, the vowel in /ˈɡeɪ/ is a diphthong that requires a smooth glide from /e/ to /ɪ/ if misaligned; third, the final /z/ is voiced and can blur with /s/ in fast speech. Focus on the GA-tions cluster, keep the /ɡ/ release tight, and anchor the final s with vocal fold vibration to prevent a hissy ending.
Obligations has no silent letters, but the stress pattern is fixed: ob-li-GA-tions. The middle syllable /li/ is unstressed, which can lead to a weak form in rapid speech. Pay attention to the O- initial reduced vowel, though not as strongly as schwa in casual speech; ensure the GA is clearly pronounced with a strong onset /ɡ/ and a crisp affricate transition into /tions/.
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- US: emphasize the rhotic vowels only if followed by another vowel; otherwise, skip the /r/. Use clear /ɒ/ in /ɒb/ and a bright /eɪ/ in /ˈɡeɪ/. - UK: maintain non-rhotic speech; the /ɒ/ remains compact and the /ɡeɪ/ is lip-rounded but not overblown. - AU: neutralized vowel length; keep /ɒ/ compact and /ɡeɪ/ with a relaxed jaw; avoid overpronunciation of /t/.
Obligation comes from the Latin obligatio, from obligare meaning to bind fast, bind by oath, or compel. The root ob- means toward or against, and ligare means to bind or tie. The word evolved through Old French obligacion, then Middle English obligacioun, adopting the sense of a binding promise or duty. By the 16th century, obligation referred to both legal duties and moral or social duties. Over time, it broadened to include financial obligations and contractual duties, maintaining the core idea of binding force or requirement. The modern sense retains the sense of something that compels action or non-action, often formalized through agreements, laws, or social expectations. First known uses appear in legal and scholastic contexts in medieval Europe, aligning with the rise of contractual and oath-bound duties in feudal and early mercantile systems.
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