How to Pronounce Selective Amnesia
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Selective Amnesia Pronunciation
suh-LEK-tiv am-NEE-zhuh
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
suh
LEK
stress here
tiv am
NEE
stress here
zhuh
5 syllables
What is Selective Amnesia?
A form of dissociative amnesia in which a person can remember some, but not all, events from a specific time period, particularly those surrounding a traumatic experience. The forgotten memories are typically the most distressing.
Questions About Selective Amnesia
How do you pronounce 'selective amnesia'?
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Say it like this: suh-LEK-tiv am-NEE-zhuh. The stress falls on the second part of 'selective' (LEK) and the second part of 'amnesia' (NEE). Think of it as saying 'sub-LECK-tiv' and then 'am-NEEZH-uh' as two separate words.
What's the stressed syllable in 'selective amnesia'?
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There are two stressed syllables: LEK in 'selective' and NEE in 'amnesia.' A common mistake is stressing the first part of 'selective' (suh-LEK instead of suh-LEK-tiv), so remember the emphasis lands on the middle syllable.
How do you break 'selective amnesia' into syllables?
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Break it like this: se-LEK-tiv am-NE-zha. 'Selective' has three syllables, and 'amnesia' has three syllables too, making it six syllables total when you say the whole phrase.
What does 'selective' mean in this term?
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'Selective' comes from the Latin word 'selectus,' which means 'chosen' or 'picked out.' In 'selective amnesia,' it means that only certain memories—usually the most painful ones—are forgotten, while other memories from the same time period remain.
What does 'amnesia' mean?
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'Amnesia' comes from Greek and combines 'a' (meaning 'not' or 'without') and 'mnesis' (meaning 'memory'). So amnesia literally means 'without memory' or 'loss of memory.'
What does 'selective amnesia' mean in everyday words?
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In simple terms, selective amnesia means someone forgets only parts of a stressful experience—they remember some details but not others, especially the most upsetting parts. It's like your memory is choosing what to remember and what to skip.
What's a related word that uses the 'amnesia' root?
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Another common term is 'retrograde amnesia' (RET-roh-grade am-NEE-zhuh), which means memory loss from the past. Both 'amnesia' terms share the same Greek root about memory loss, but they describe different types of forgetting.
Can you use 'selective amnesia' in a sentence?
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Sure! Here's an example: 'The psychologist explained that selective amnesia is when someone remembers going to the event, but cannot recall the most distressing moments that happened there.' This shows the word describing a specific pattern of memory loss.