Difference between revisions of "Swedish Phonology"
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In many cases ''e'' and ''ä'' coincide and are pronounced the same such as in ''sett'' - ''sätt''. This sometimes leads to the assumption that there are only eight short vowels. | In many cases ''e'' and ''ä'' coincide and are pronounced the same such as in ''sett'' - ''sätt''. This sometimes leads to the assumption that there are only eight short vowels. | ||
| − | == | + | == Consonants == |
Typical for Standard Swedish is for instance the ''ɧ'' phoneme which renders the consonant cluster <sj> as in <sjö>. It is described as a sound between [x] and [ʃ] but this is often disputed. In some dialects, especially in northern and Finland Swedish, the ''ɧ'' does not exist. Furthermore the retroflexes ''ʈ, ɖ, ʂ, ɭ'' and ''ɳ'' are a fixture. Opinions differ concerning the total number of consonant phonemes since retroflexes are often treated as allophones. Counting them among phonemes, there are 23 consonant phonemes altogether in the Swedish language. | Typical for Standard Swedish is for instance the ''ɧ'' phoneme which renders the consonant cluster <sj> as in <sjö>. It is described as a sound between [x] and [ʃ] but this is often disputed. In some dialects, especially in northern and Finland Swedish, the ''ɧ'' does not exist. Furthermore the retroflexes ''ʈ, ɖ, ʂ, ɭ'' and ''ɳ'' are a fixture. Opinions differ concerning the total number of consonant phonemes since retroflexes are often treated as allophones. Counting them among phonemes, there are 23 consonant phonemes altogether in the Swedish language. | ||
Revision as of 16:08, 16 July 2013
1. Phonology
Vowels
The Swedish alphabet uses nine vowels: a, e, i, o, u, y, å, ä and ö
Regarding their pronunciation, the language consists of 18 vowel phonemes which are distinguished by their lengthening. There are nine long and nine short vowels which entail a difference of quality and quantity. The orthographic depiction of diphthongs does not exist in Swedish.
Long Vowels
There are nine long vowel phonemes which can cause a change in the meaning of a word.
| Front unrounded | Front rounded | Central rounded | Back rounded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | iː | yː | ʉː | uː |
| Close mid | eː | øː | oː | |
| Open mid | ɛː | |||
| Open | ɑː |
Examples:
is [iːs]
ny [nyː]
mus [mʉːs]
sol [suːl]
led [leːd]
öl [øːl]
bås [boːs]
näs [nɛːs]
sak [sɑːk]
Sometimes the doubling of a consonant also indicates the lengthening of a preceding vowel, e.g. bar - barr.
Short Vowels
Swedish makes use of nine short vowels.
| Front unrounded | Front rounded | Central rounded | Back rounded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | ɪ | ʏ | ʊ | |
| Close mid | e | ɵ | ||
| Open mid | ɛ | œ | ɔ | |
| Open | a |
In many cases e and ä coincide and are pronounced the same such as in sett - sätt. This sometimes leads to the assumption that there are only eight short vowels.
Consonants
Typical for Standard Swedish is for instance the ɧ phoneme which renders the consonant cluster <sj> as in <sjö>. It is described as a sound between [x] and [ʃ] but this is often disputed. In some dialects, especially in northern and Finland Swedish, the ɧ does not exist. Furthermore the retroflexes ʈ, ɖ, ʂ, ɭ and ɳ are a fixture. Opinions differ concerning the total number of consonant phonemes since retroflexes are often treated as allophones. Counting them among phonemes, there are 23 consonant phonemes altogether in the Swedish language.
| Labial | Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p, b | t, d | ʈ [1],
ɖ [2] |
k, g | ||
| Fricative | f, v | s | ʂ [3] | ɕ [4] | ɧ [5] | h |
| Nasal | m | n | ɳ [6] | ŋ | ||
| Trill / Flap | r | |||||
| Approximant | j | |||||
| Lateral Approximant | l | ɭ [7] |
Annotation: Where two phonemes appear in a single column the first phoneme is always voiceless and the second voiced.
