# A Danish and Dano-Norwegian Grammar/Danish Sounds

DANISH SOUNDS.
VOWELS.
9. Table of Danish vowels classified according to their articulation.
(A period· up in the line after a vowel indicates length of the vowel).
| | | Back. | Back. | Mixed. | Mixed. | Front. | Front. |
| | | Not rounded. | Rounded. | Not rounded. | Rounded. | Not rounded. | Rounded. |
| High. | Narrow | | u· | | | i· | y· |
| High. | Wide | | u | | | i | y |
| Mid. | Narrow | | o· | | | e· e | ø ø· |
| Mid. | Wide | | o | ə | | æ | ö |
| Low. | Narrow | | aa· | | | æ· | ö· |
| Low. | Wide | a | aa | | | | |
[10. For the benefit of those not familiar with the phonetic terms as established by Mssrs. Bell, Sweet and others it is here remarked, that the terms “Back”, “Mixed” and “Front” refer to the horizontal articulation of the tongue, indicating what part of the tongue has to be raised from its normal position in order to form such an articulation as to produce the vowel in question. Intermediate positions between those mentioned are designated by the names “advanced” or “outer” and “retracted” or “inner”.
The words “High”, “Mid” and “Low” refer to the vertical position of the tongue. An intermediate position between two of these positions may be described as a lowering of the position immediately above or a raising of the one below.
​The terms “Narrow” and “Wide” refer to the shape of the tongue. “In forming “narrow” sounds there is a feeling of tenseness in that part of the tongue where the sound is formed, the surface of the tongue being made more convex than in its natural “wide” shape in which it is relaxed and flattened”. (Sweet).
“Rounding is a contraction of the mouth cavity by lateral compression of the cheek passage and narrowing of the lip aperture” (Sweet).]
In Danish pronunciation of rounded vowels the rounding is accompanied by a projection of the lips so as to increase the length of the mouth cavity.
Note 1.—The articulation of Danish a is really advanced back, that of e raised mid. The vowels aa (å) and o are both pronounced with the same rounding as o and u, respectively, in common European pronunciation.
Note 2.—It should at once be noticed that in Danish pronunciation the lips play a more prominent part than in English, that the upper lip is never drawn so close to the teeth as in English pronunciation, and that the tongue normally has a more advanced and flattened position than with English speaking people.
SOUND VALUE OF DANISH VOWELS AND THEIR GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION IN COMMON ORTHOGRAPHY.
11. A has a sound very near that of English a in father, although not quite as deep (somewhat palatalized). Ex. long: Gade street, Abe monkey; short: Hat hat, Tak thanks.
Note. The long a has in the vulgar Copenhagen pronunciation a sound very near English a in fat prolonged. The foreigner must avoid imitating this pronunciation.
12. æ (long) has the same sound as English ai in air; Ex.: Hær army, være to be, svæve to hover.
{{sm|This sound is in orthography represented by e in: bedre better, der there, her here, deres their, ere are, regjere to rule, Regjering government ​(and upond the whole before –r), Legeme body, sjette (pr. sjæte) sixth, tjene to serve, fjer(d)e fourth, Stedet the place, udstede to issue, tilstede to permit and other derivatives of Sted; Chef chief.}}
13. æ (short) has the same sound as English e in men; Ex.: hæslig ugly, lægge to lay.
This sound is in orthography as a rule represented by the sign e which is pronounced in this way in most cases when it is short and at the same time stressed; Ex.: denne this, Ven friend, elske to love, Ende end, svensk Swedish. It is written æ when derived from a word with long sound of æ, written æ, or from word with a, aa or ei in the root; Ex.: kærlig affectionate (from kær dear), fælde to fell (from Fald fall), nægte to deny (from nej no); Hænder hands (from Haand hand); furthermore in Præst priest and some other words.
14. e represents the sound of French é in été or of English a in name, but without the diphthongic element of the latter (more like the common American pronunciation of a). This is the common sound of e when it is long (except before r, see § 12); Ex.: se to see, Reb rope, Snes score.
When a word in one form has a long e, then it, as a rule, retains the same quality of the sound, even if the vowel in other forms of the word is shortened: hedt hot (neuter of hed), ledt searched (partcp. of lede). The short variety of the same sound is also found in the unstressed prefixes be– and ge–: bestemme to decide; Gemal consort; furthermore in some monosyllables ending in –d or –v: Bed bed (in garden), Fjed step, Drev pinion (but Sted see § 12).
15. This sound (e) is represented by the orthographical sign of i in a great many cases where the vowel is short; especially is i pronounced this way before mm, mp, nt, ng, nk, besides some other cases; {{sm|Ex.: Fisk fish (pron. fesk), fiske to fish, ridse to scratch, Pligt duty, vil will, Spil play, Pille pill, digte to make poetry, lidt a little (pron. let, but lidt suffered [partcp. of lide] pron lit), midt middle (pron. met, but mit mine pron. mit), Skin appearance, Tin tin, in the prefix mis, misbruge to misuse: Misdæder malefactor; unstressed in the derivative endings –ling, –ning: Yndling favorite, Slægtning relative. Some words may be spelt with either i or e: tusinde and tusende thousand, ​Ærinde and Ærende errand (these two words may also be pronounced with i).}}
16. ə has a sound approaching that of French e in que, English i in bird. This sound only occurs in unaccented syllables, and its orthographic sign is e. Ex.: Gave gift, Gade street.
Some words may be pronounced and spelt with or without ə (e); Ex.: tusind and tusinde thousand, hundred and hundrede hundred, Ærind or Ærinde errand, Billed(e) picture, Embed(e) office, Arbeid(e) work, Legem(e) body, Madam(e), Himmerig(e) kingdom of heaven, Tind(e) peak; in the words Herre Master, Frue Mistress, Madame, Konge king, Fyrste prince, Greve count the final e is omitted before a name or another title; Herre is then spelt Hr.: Hr. Petersen Mr. P.
17. Immediately after another stressed vowel ə is often slurred in the pronunciation, so as almost to disappear: troəde believed. In some cases it is written but not pronounced at all; it can never be pronounced immediately after a single vowel with glottal catch (see § 76) nor after a short stressed vowel. In some cases there may be a choice between a long stressed vowel with pronounced ə and a short vowel without ə. The former is then used in more select language, and especially is the retaining of ə common in the passive form; Ex.: slaaes to be beaten, but slaas to fight, slaaet and slaa’t beaten, gaaet and gac’t gone. After i and u e is commonly retained (but befri liberate, forny renew, without e because of glottal catch).
An e is sometimes written without being pronounced, either to indicate length of the preceding vowel or to distinguish between different words of the same sound or words that although differing in sound would according to common rules have to be written in the same way. This e is called mute; Ex.: saa(e) saw, to distinguish it from saa so; fo(e)r (long o) went to distinguish from for, prp. for (short open å).
18. i has, when long (i·), about the same sound as English ee in see; Ex.: Mine mien, Pibe pipe, smile to smile.
When short it has the same sound as English i in fill; this sound occurs a) when the same word in another form or ​when the root word, from which the word in question is formed, has long i: mit my (neut. of min), stri(d)t fought, prtcp. of stride, hvi(d)te to whitewash, derived from hvid white; b) before ld or lt: Sild hering, Milt milt; c) in some other words; Ex.: Kridt chalk, hid here (hither), Pisk whip, grisk greedy; d) in unstressed syllables; Ex.: Rival rival, imod against.
The orthographic sign of this vowel is i, except in de they, De you, where it is e.
19. aa (å) has a sound similar to English a in call, but closer. The long sound is as a rule written aa: blaa blue, Naade grace; but it is in some words denoted by o before v (except in diphthongs, see § 28) and g; Ex.: Bog book; Brog breeching, broget variegated, klog prudent, koge to cook, Krog hook, kroget crooked, love to promise, Svoger brother-in-law, Drog a good-for-nothing, Fjog booby, Sprog language, Tog expedition; unstressed in Orlog (naval) warfare, Orlov leave of absence (in the six last named words the vowel may be pronounced long and short); furthermore in hvor where, Torsdag Thursday, borte away, Vorte wart, vore ours, otte eight, (pron. å-te, but the ordinal ottende the eighth with short vowel), and unstressed Alvor earnest.
20. The short å-sound is as a rule denoted by the letter o; Ex.: Lod ½ ounce; Boble bubble, Borg castle, hoppe to jump, Krop body, lokke to allure, vor our.
The short sound of å is denoted by aa in some words formed by derivation or inflection of words with a long aa, and besides in some other words; Ex.: blaat blue (neut. of blaa), vaadt wet (neut. of vaad), Skaansel mercy (from skaane to treat with leniency), Aadsel corpse, Aand spirit, Aande breath, Baand ribbon, Flaad flux, Haand hand, Laad fleece, laadden fleecy, en Maatte a mat, Raad pus (but Raad council, long aa), saa so (when unstressed), Saald sieve (also written Sold), Vaand wand, Vaande jeopardy; and with secondary accent Undersaat a subject, usaattes on bad terms.
21. O is a sound peculiar to the Scandinavian languages, midway between English o in toe and oo in too, but nearer the latter ; and it is spoken with the same rounding of the lips ​as the English oo. The sound of o when long is in orthography represented by o, which letter when representing a long vowel generally denotes this sound; Ex.: stor large, Blod blood, god good, Sko shoe, Bro bridge (as for o with sound of long å see § 19).
22. The short sound of o is represented in orthography by o in the following cases: 1) in words formed by inflection, derivation or composition from a root word or form with long o; Ex.: nordisk Northern (from nor(d), Gods goods (from god good), (but godt neuter of god, pron. gåt); 2) in unstressed first syllables before a single consonant: Hotel, Koloni, brodere to embroider (also in Hospital, Osteri); 3) in the following words: Kost broom, ond bad, Onsdag Wednesday, Ost cheese, sort black, Torden thunder.
23. Otherwise the short sound of o is represented in common orthography by u, which sign when representing a short vowel usually indicates this sound (except in the cases stated in § 24); Ex.: Dug dew (but Dug table cloth with u'); smuk nice, Buk he-goat, lukke close, slukke extinguish, Hul hole, dum foolish, stum mute, Hummer lobster; unstressed in fordum formerly. Some words may be spelt with either u or o, the pronunciation in both cases being o; Ex.: Kunst and Konst art, Kummen and Kommen caraway, Kuffert and Koffert traveller's trunk.
24. u represents a sound similar to the English oo, but closer; Ex.: Hus house, bruge to use, ud out. A short sound of u, similar to English u in full, occurs in some cases: 1) in words derived from words or forms with long u or y; Ex.: brugt partc. of bruge to use, skudt partc. of skyde to shoot; 2) in unstressed syllables; Ex. : ugjörlig impossible, Musik, Uniform; 3) when u is followed by ld, lt or sk; Ex.: fuld full, Guld gold, sulte to starve, fuske to bungle; 4) in the words: Krudt gunpowder, Lut lute, lurvet shabby, and some others (about u in other cases representing the sound of o see § 23).
25. ø has a sound like French eu in peu; the English ​language has no corresponding sound (to produce the sound one should say a as in English fate and at the same time hold the lips in almost the whistling position); Ex.: Födsel birth, Bønder peasants, Søster sister, Stød blow, høre to hear, lød sounded (impf. of lyde), Sølv silver, løs loose, Prøve trial, Bøger books. The sound of ø is represented by the letter ø (ö) always when it is long, and sometimes when short. But the short sound of ø is as a rule in writing represented by the sign of y; Ex.: Tryk pressure, Stykke piece, dryppe to drip, dyrke to cultivate, Fyrste a prince, kysse to kiss, Lygte lantern, Lykke fortune, Nytte utility, skylle to rinse, synke to sink.
26. ö has a more open sound, like French eu in peuple, German ö. (Pronounce English a in fat with the lips in a whistling position); Ex.: förste first, Berömmelse fame, större larger, Björn bear, Bönner prayers, Sön son, forsömme to neglect.
Note. In Danish spelling there is not as a rule made a consistent distinction between the signs ö and ø, most writers using both signs promiscuously or either one exclusively. ö is as a rule used before m, n ending a word, nn, rr, rn. (As for the sound and use of ö as first part of a diphthong see § 28).
27. y has the sound of French u, German ü; the English language has no corresponding sound (to produce it the tongue takes the position for i, the lips that for u). The letter y represents this sound 1) when it is long; Ex.: flyde to flow, adlyde to obey, sy to sew, Öjenbryn eyebrow, Tyv thief, Sky cloud; 2) when short, a) in case the root word or form has long y; Ex.: dybt neuter af dyb deep, nyt neuter af ny new; b) in unstressed syllables; Ex.: Hypothék mortgage, Hyperbol, ​Fysik; c) when y is followed by the combinations ld or lt; Ex.: fylde to fill, Stylte stilt; d) in some other words; Ex.: Frygt fright, styg ugly, tyk thick. (As for the letter y representing the sound of ø see § 25.)
DANISH DIPHTHONGS.
28. Danish spelling has the following Diphthongs:
av, ov, æv, öv and aj, ej, oj, öj.
The consonant part of these diphthongs has in spite of the peculiar Danish spelling with v and j the sounds of w and i. In the diphthongs of the w-series the vowel part retains its peculiar sound (a, o, æ, ö); Ex.: Havn harbor, hævne to revenge, nævne to name, hovne to swell, Hövl plane, Stövle boot, Vrövl nonsense; but in the i-series a and e are pronounced as a, o and ö as a sound approaching å; aj and ej are pronounced like English y in my, oj and öj like English oy in boy; vaje to wave and veje to weigh pronounced in the same manner; böje to bend and Boje a buoy, both pronounced alike. Another sign for the diphthong ej is eg; Ex.: jeg pr. jaj; Vegne in allevegne, everywhere (pron. vainə, e. g. rhyme: Vegne, Hygiajne). 16 is now spelt sejsten, formerly sexten. Nögle (pr. nåilə) key; Vindbeutel (pron. venbåitl) braggart; but in Zeus, Europa etc. eu is pronounced öv.
DANISH CONSONANTS.
29. The difference between tenues (p, t, k) and mediae (b, d, g) is not so much dependent upon the circumstance of ​the former being voiceless, the latter voiced, as is the case in English. But the Danish tenses are followed by a voiceless breath, thereby becoming aspirates. Thus the energy of expiration becomes the chief distinguishing feature between Danish tenues and mediae.
In some cases the tenues are written where the sound is really nearer to that of the mediae; thus Nordens Skuder (the ships of the North) and Nordens Guder (the gods of the North) are both pronounced in almost the same manner (sguder), i. e. the aspiration of tenues does not take place after s and thus the chief characteristic of the hard sound disappears. The same rule applies to shut consonants written double in the middle of words, pp, tt, kk representing about the same sound as bb, dd, gg; Ex.: tykke thick, plur., and tygge to chew, Bække rivulets, and begge both, Lapper patches, and Labber paws, have the same sound, something between tenues and mediae.
30. p has the hard aspirated sound of p-h (not ph=f) in the beginning of syllables: Pære pear, Penge money, Parade.
The sound of p is written b before s and terminative t (te), the long root vowel at the same time being shortened; Ex.: Ribs currants, Stribs flogging, dybt deep (neut. of dyb), dræbte killed, impf. of dræbe, tabt lost, partcp. of tabe to lose.
31. 1) After s, 2) when written double (pp) and 3) at the end of words the sign p represents the sound midway between p and b, or a hard b; Ex.: spare to save (sb), pippe to peep up (pron. p-hibbǝ), op up, pron. obb (bb in these cases indicating the hard sound of b).
32. In some foreign words ph indicates the sound of f (see § 36). Pharisæer, Philosophi (more commonly now spelt with f). In Ps in Greek words p is mute: Psalme psalm (also written Salme); in others like Psykologi psychology, Psalter, Pseudonym, Ptolemæus it is sounded by some people, omitted by others.
​33. b is pronounced as the voiced labial stop (Engl. b) 1) in the beginning of a word or a syllable; Ex.: lade to bathe, Brok hernia, Blæk ink, Taabe fool, 2) at the end of a word or a syllable after along vowel; Ex.: Gab gap, Stab stoff, Daab baptism.
34. The sound midway between b and p is represented by the sign of b, 1) at the end of a word or syllable after a short vowel; Ex.: Lab paw, Grib vulture; 2) when written double between two vowels: Labber paws, Ribbe rib.
35. m like English m: Mad food, ham him; double m (mm) pronounced short: kom(m)e to come.
36. f is a labiodental voiceless open consonant and has a sound similar to English f: faa few, Skuffe drawer, Ruf deckhouse.
In some words the sound of f is represented in writing by v: thus in the beginning of the foreign words: Vernis varnish, Viol, violet, Violin, and also sometimes before t as in grovt rough (neut. of grov), havt had (prtcp. of have) pron. graft, haft, which now also is the official way of spelling.
Note. Stiffader, stepfather, pronounced stefar, so also other compounds with stif- step- pronounced ste.
37. v is a labiodental open voiced consonant similar in pronunciation to English v; it occurs in the beginning of words and after a consonant, after a long vowel and in foreign words; Ex.: Van(d) water, Sværd sword, evig eternal, lavt low (neuter), Avis newspaper.
In the pronunciation of the Copenhagen dialect v often takes the place of b after a vowel; løbe pron. løve, Köbenhavn pron. Køvenhavn; in some words both forms are written promiscuously: Knebel and Knevel, knevle and kneble gag and to gag.
The sound of v is written f in af præp. of, pron. av, aw (see § 28), a.
​38. For v being the sign of the w-sound in diphthongs, see § 28. Some words may be pronounced both with diphthong (the vowel preceding v then being short) and with a long vowel and v; {{sm|Ex.: Hav sea pron. Ha·v or Haw, Skove forests pron. Skå·ve or Skåwe, over over, pron. å·ver or åwer. The vowels a and o are mostly short before v (implying the diphthongic pronunciation), but there are some exceptions: bra·v brave, Gra·v grave, Kra·v claim, la·v low, ga·v gave (impf. of give), gro·v dug (impf. af grave).
39. Colloquially v is often dropped after l: hal(v) half, tol(v) 12, søl(v) silver; after along vowel: bra(v) brave, ga(v) gave, gi(v) give, bli(v) become, ble(v) became. Between two vowels, the second of which is ə, v is often dropped together with the following ə; Ex.: ha(ve) to have, gi(ve) to give, gi(ve)r gives, bli(ve)r becomes, Hoved head, pron. Hoðə in its original meaning, but Hoveð in compound words used figuratively: Hovedsag matter af chief importance, Hovedstad capital, ha(ve) to have, imperf. pron. haðe written havde.
40. t an aspirated English t (t-h, but not an open (spirantic) sound like English th); Ex.: Tag roof, ti ten. After s the aspiration does not take place, so st sounds almost like sd: Sted place, pron. Sdeð. Also tt sounds almost like a d, but without voice: mætte satisfied (plur.), prou. mæ’də (see § 29).
41. The sound of t is in Danish spelling in some words rendered by th in conformity with the old pronunciation; Ex.: thi (conjunction) for; Thing diet (to distinguish it in writing from Ting thing). Also in words of Greek origin: Theater, Throne, Theori.
42. t is at the end of the unstressed syllable in words of two syllables or more pronounced as a soft ð (see § 46); especially in participles and words with the definite article; Ex.: böjet bent (bojeð), Huset (ð) the house. But in foreign words with the stress upon the second syllable t is pronounced as t: Serviet napkin.
​43. t is written but not pronounced in adverbs ending in igt; Ex.: tydeli(gt) plainly; in the article and pronoun de(t).
44. In foreign words ti before a vowel as a rule is pronounced as tsi; Ex.: partiel, Kwtient, Differentiering differentiation; but th ending t i o n is pronounced as sjon: Nation pron. Nasjon, Motion exercise, pron. Mosjon.
45. d has a sound like English d, but less voiced, 1) in the beginning of words : Dal valley, Dole dock, din thine; 2) in the middle and at the end of words after a consonant (if not mute (see § 47) ; Ex. : Olding old man, Foraldre parents, Byrd birth, lard learned; 3) between two vowels, when the word is of foreign origin or a proper noun: Soda, Adam, Edda.
46. The sign d also represents an open consonant with a sound similar to that of English soft th in father; in pronouncing this "soft" d (phonetic sign 6) the tip of the tongue is allowed to remain in the lower part of the mouth, while the front of the tongue is raised towards the gums and the breath is gently squeezed between the tongue and the gums. This sound occurs:
1) in the middle of words between two vowels (also when written double: Padde toad, Kladde rough-draught; but Bredde breadth and Vidde width, have closed d); Ex.: bede to beg, grade to cry, weep, Naade grace, Maade manner; 2) in the middle of words after a vowel before j, l, m, n, r and the genitive s; Ex.: dadle to reproach, Sedler bills, rödme to blush, krydre to spice; 3) at the end of a word after a vowel; Ex.: Gud God, Stud bullock, Vid wit. Also when ending the first part of a compound word, even if the second part begins with a hard consonant; Ex.: Blodtab loss of blood, udsat exposed.
47. d is written but not pronounced (mute) 1) in most cases after l and n; Ex. : Gul(d) gold, Il(d) fire, smal(d)e to crack (a whip), Skul(d)er shoulder, hol(d)e to hold, Haan(d) hand, Venin(d)e lady friend. ​Note. d is pronounced after l and n a) in derivative adjectives ending in –ig and –elig; Ex.: mandig manful, sandelig truthfully; b) when followed by r; Ex.: forandre to change, hindre to prohibit, Forældre parents; c) in the ending –ende; Ex.: læsende reading, Tidende news; d) in some specific words: Olding old man, Ælde age, Vælde power, Bande gang, Blonde lace, Grande neighbor, Kunde customer; and in foreign words: Indien East India, Cylinder, Gelænder bannisters. (Ynde grace, charm, pron. Önde, but ynde to favor, pron. önne).
2) After r when the preceding vowel is long; Ex.: Bord table (pron. Bor), Or(d) word, Jor(d) earth (sometimes on the pulpit and in similar style pronounced Jord with short o and audible d); jor(d)et earthy, without d, jordet buried, with d. But when the preceding vowel is short d is pronounced after r: Færd voyage, and færdes to travel, (but paafær(d)e abroad, afoot), Byrd birth, Byrde burden.
Note. In nordisk northern, the d is pronounced but in Norden it is not unless when signifying the three Scandinavian countries; nor(d)enfor to the north of, nor(d)enfra from the north etc.
3) Before an –s (not being the genitive ending) d as a rule is not pronounced (and it is never pronounced before sk or between n and s); be(d)st best, Lo(d)s pilot, en Stads of a city (gen.), but Sta(d)s state, show. In compound words the –s as a rule originally is the genitive ending and therefore the d is pronounced; Ex.: Daadskraft energy, but Baa(d)smand boatswain, Baa(d)shage boat-hook; in adverbs which originally are genitive forms d is pronounced: allesteds etc., everywhere; in tilfreds satisfied d may be pronounced or not.
4) Before t: go(d)t neuter of god good, spæ(d)t neuter of spæd tender, et Ri(d)t a ride.
5) Before k in the words Bø(d)ker cooper, Sne(d)ker joiner.
48. In many words of frequent occurrence d between two vowels is dropped together with the following vowel when the latter is ə; such words are Fader, Moder, Broder pron. Far, Mor, Bror father, mother, brother; in compounds also written ​in the short form: Farfader father’s father, but Fadermorder parricide, Mormor mother’s mother, Fjeder or Fjer feather, Foder or Foer pron. for, fodder or lining (generally spelt with d in the former meaning without it in the latter); Spar or Spa(de)r spades (in cards) but Spader (spaðer) spades (as a tool); han la(de)r he lets (præs. of la(de) to let), Klæ(de)r clothes, but Klæder cloths (generally called Sorter Klæde kinds of cloth), Læ(de)r leather. d is also in common conversation dropped at the end of many words of common occurrence: go(d) good, han lo(d) he let, sto(d) stood, ve(d) with, jeg ve(d) I know t (h)va(d) what; also Kjedel kettle, pron. Kele.
This dropping of the d may be used as a means of distinguishing two meanings of one word; thus vid wide is pronounced vi when signifying wide in opposition to narrow: et Par vi(d)e Buxer a pair of wide trousers; but uden videre without further (ado), og saavidere etc., den vide Verden the wide, wide world.
49. n has the same sound as in English; ng has the same sound as English ng in singer; Ex.: Finger finger, Sanger singer; the same sound is before k represented by n alone; so also in some foreign words before g; Ex.: sanke (pron. sangke) to gather, Enke (ngk) widow, Evangelium (ngg) gospel, Ungarn (ngg) Hungary.
50. l has the same sound as in English.
51. s never has the soft (voiced) sound of English s between vowels. Ex.: Hus house, sy to sew (s in both cases pronounced alike). sj represents one single sound, that of a palatalized s, similar in sound to English sh; Ex.: sjelden seldom, Sjæl soul.
German sch, English sh, French ch, g, j are by the Danes pronounced with this same sound in words borrowed from those languages: Schak chess, Shavl shawl, Choc onset, Chocolade, jaloux (sj.), genere (sj.) to worry.
52. j is a palatal open voiced (except after k, p, t) ​consonant corresponding in sound to English y before vowels; Ex.: ja yes, jeg (pron. jai) I.
For j representing the sound of i in the second part of diphthongs see § 28.
j is often written without being pronounced after k and g before œ, ö and open e. K(j)œr dear, g(j)erne willingly. (According to the latest official rules of spelling this j is not to be written except in Danish names such as Kjøge, Kjøbenhavn, where the use of j is optional). Before other vowels than those mentioned j is pronounced (except in the Copenhagen dialect); Kjole dress coat, woman's gown; gjor(d)e did.
53. k is an aspirated tenuis; kalde pron. k-hal.ə; the aspiration does not take place after s and when written double in the middle of words, see § 29. Ikke not, forming rhyme with ligge, Sukke sighs (plur.) forming rhyme with Vugge cradle, skal shall, pron. sgal.
54. g is not so distinctly voiced as the corresponding English sound, to which it otherwise corresponds. g occurs 1) in the beginning of words; Ex.: Gave gift, grave to dig, glide to slide, give to give; 2) in the middle of words a) when written double: ligge to lie, begge both; b) between two vowels in foreign words: Agurk cucumber, Cigar; 3) in the end af words after a short vowel: styg ugly, Byg barley, Hug cut, blow; sometimes after a long vowel: Æg egg, definite form Ægget, where the double g (gg) is the sign of this sound and does not indicate the shortness of the preceding vowel.
55. The sign of g also represents an open (spirantic) guttural voiced sound, similar to German g in legen, Tage. This sound never occurs in the beginning of words, but 1) in the middle of words between two vowels (but not after a short ​æ or ö), or between a vowel and a voice consonant or two voice consonants; 2) at the end of words after a long vowel or a voice consonant; Ex.: bage to bake, vige to yield, sluge to devour, kogle to charm, vaagne to awaken, Mængde quantity.
Note 1. For g serving as orthographical sign of the sound i in diphthongs see § 28.
g represents this sound 1) after the vowels open e or ö before l or n or before a termination commencing with unstressed ə; 2) in the end of words after a short open e, æ or ö; Ex.: Nögle (öj) key, Egn (aj) region, jeg (aj) I, Leg (aj) play, meget (ajət) much, legede (ajə) played; 3) in the pronouns mig me, dig thee, you, sig him (her) self (pron. maj etc.). (Colloquially these pronouns are when unstressed pronounced jə, mə, də, sə, and in church oratory and recitations the three last mentioned may be pronounced as written mig, dig, sig, but that is never the case with jeg). In stead of dejg dough, feig cowardly, sejg tough the official orthography now is dej, fej, sej.
Note 2. g serves as the sign of the sound w in diphthongs (see § 28) after the sound å written o) in: Rogn spawn, Sogn parish, Vogn wagon. (In stead of the former spelling, Laug guild, Saug saw, taug was silent, Ploug plough, Toug rope, there is now generally written Lav, Sav, tav, Plov, Tov. Wholly antiquated is the spelling Hauge for Have garden).
56. In common every day pronunciation g is often dropped: 1) after long u in slu(g)e to devour, su(g)e to suck, Ku(g)le bullet, Fu(g)l fowl, (the g was in these cases first assimilated to u and then dropped); 2) after long i in: li(g)e straight, direct, Pi(g)e girl, si(g)e to say, Skri(g) cry etc. (g in these cases was assimilated to j and then dropped); 3) after l and r: sæl(g)e to sell; spör(g)e to ask; impf. sol(g)te sold, spur(g)te (sporte) asked, dul(g)te concealed; 4) In ta(ge)r takes, ta(ge) to take, to(g) took, slo(g) struck, la(gde) laid.
57. The r commonly used by educated Danes is the untrilled back or throat r, produced by raising the back of the tongue towards the roof of the pharynx; this r is as a rule voiced, but it is voiceless after aspirated stops; it is never ​vocalic like English final r; Ex.: Raab cry, træt tired, (han) løber he runs.
Note. In Jutland and in some other local dialects the r is pronounced with a strong trill, either front or uvular; the latter pronunciation is especially employed in the stage and pulpit language.
R is dropped in the pronunciation of the appellative noun: Ka(r)l a man, laborer (in the derivative Kælling, an old woman, r is not even retained in writing), but in the proper noun Karl Charles, r retains its sound.
58. h has the same sound as English h; it is pronounced before vowels in the beginning of a word or a syllable; Ex.: han he, udholde to endure, Mæhæ ninny.
Note 1. In some words h is written before j and v without influencing the pronunciation: (H)vile rest, (H)jul wheel.
Note 2. A vowel ending a sentence is in Danish pronounced with a peculiar breath that may be compared with an h. This is not indicated in spelling; vi we, pron. (in the position mentioned) vih, nu now, pron. nuh.
59. C only occurs in foreign words and is pronounced as s and k according to the same rules as in English; Ex.: Centrum, Scene, Accent.
According to the latest official orthography c is only to be used indicating the sound of k before an other c that represents the sound of c; in all other cases it is to be replaced by k: Vokal, Konsonant.
60. ch is in words of Greek origin pronounced as k and now also officially written that way; it indicates the same sound in the proper names Tycho and Munch, but in words of French origin ch is usually pronounced as sj: Chaussé highway. sch in words of German origin is pronounced like Danish sj. Instead of a former sch (ch) there is now in many words regularly written sk: Droske cab, Mansket cuff, Marskal, Marskandiser fripper, Skak chess, Skatol cabinet, Skak shaft, Skallottelög eschalot.
61. Q only occurs before v in foreign words, but it is now mostly in those of such words as are in popular use replaced ​by k. Kvinde woman is now only by very oldfashioned people spelt Quinde; Kvartét, Kvint.
62. W only occurs in foreign words and has the sound of v. Wien Vienna.
63. X according to the latest rules is to be replaced by ks in words of common use: seks six, Okse ox.
64. Z represents the sound of s and is only used in foreign words. In words of German origin it is to be replaced by s: sitre to tremble, sire to adorn; in other foreign words it is to be retained: Zone, Zenit, Zelot.
COLLOQUIAL FORMS.
65. In colloquial language words of frequent occurrence and of no particular logical importance undergo some abbreviations and changes besides those already spoken of. Some of the most important of them may here be mentioned. af, to, before infinitives pronounced å. den is enclitically pronounced ’n: gi me’n for giv mig den give it me. det (which proclitically is pronounced de: de(t) store Hus the big house) is enclitically pronounced ’ð: si me’ð for sig mig det tell it me. endnu yet, pron. inu. idet when, pron. ide‘ (see § 43). nej no, pron. næ. og and, pron. å (thus taking the same form as the infinitive particle at, with which it is often confounded). ogsaa also, pron. o’så. skal shall pron. sga. til to, pron. t-he. tredive 30, pron. treðvə. vil will, pron. ve.
DANISH ACCENT.
66. The accent stress in Danish as a rule rests on the root-syllable, which in most cases is the first syllable. The ​accent stress is not in common writing indicated by any orthographic sign.
67. Some derivative suffixes take the accent: –ads, –inde, –i; Ex.: Mora‘ds morass, Veni‘nde lady friend, Værdi‘ value.
68. Foreign words as a rule have the accent on the same syllable as in the language from which they have been adopted: Stude’nt, Korpora‘l, Universite‘t, Fami‘lie, Ame‘rika.
Note 1. In a few foreign words the accent is on another syllable than in the language from which they were taken; Ex.: Talle‘rken dish plate, from Low G. Te‘llerken; Bersæ‘rk from O. N. be‘rserkr; Valky‘rie from O. N. va‘lkyria.
Note 2. In words ending in –or (adopted from the Latin) the accent in plural moves according to the Latin rule: Profe‘ssor, Professo‘rer (but with the definite article Profe‘ssoren the professor).
69. Adjectives derived in –agtig and –haftig (German endings) have the accent on the termination: barna‘gtig childish, dela‘gtig partaking, mandha‘ftig mannish; the same is also the case with most adjectives ending in –isk: parti‘sk partial; poli‘sk sly (but kri‘gerisk warlike).
The ending –lig often has the power of moving the accent towards the ending of the word: sædva‘nlig customary (but Sæ‘dvane custom), eventy‘rlig marvellous (but E‘ventyr adventure).
70. In compound words the first part as a rule takes the chief accent (‘), the first syllable of the second part a secondary accent (’); Ex.: Hu‘slæ’rer private tutor, Prø‘veaa’r trial year; Blo‘msterpo’tte flower pot.
71. The chief accent is on the second part of compound words. a) in substantives; 1) in some Scandinavian local names: Kø’benha‘vn Copenhagen, Ko’rsø‘r; 2) in some compounds, where the second part qualifies the first part: Aarhu‘ndrede century, Aartu‘sinde millennium, Aarti‘ decennium (but Fe‘maar lustrum); 3) in some titles: Borgme‘ster ​burgomaster, Generallö‘jtnant lieutenant general; 4) in the words: nordo‘st northeast, nordve‘st northwest etc., and in Skjærso‘mmer month of June, Pebermy‘nte peppermint, Skarnty‘de hemlock, Fastela‘vn shrovetide, Skjærto‘rsdag Maundy Thursday, Langfre‘dag Good Friday; 5) in words, the second part of which is lille: Barnli‘lle little child, Morli‘lle dear mother; 6) in some words the first part of which is a verbal stem, the second an adverb: Paso‘p (dog's name), Farve‘l farewell; b) in adjectives:
1) in some adjective derivatives in -ig or -lig: agtvæ‘rdig estimable, tilø‘rlig proper, hævngje‘rrig vindictive, frimo‘dig frank, taalmo‘dig patient (but ho‘vmodig haughty), nederdræ‘gtig mean. But most compound adjectives formed in this manner have the accent on the first part of the composition: ski‘nhellig hypocritical, ma‘ngesidig manysided, e‘nsformig uniform; no strict rules can be given, because the language of different persons differs even in the same words, and sometimes similar words differ without any apparent reason (Ex.: ko‘rtvarig of short duration; but: langva‘rig of long duration) and in some cases difference in accent serves to indicate difference of meaning; Ex.: enfo‘ldig simple minded, e‘nfoldig yielding a return equal to the seed sown; 2) in adjectives derived in -som and -bar: opfi‘ndsom inventive, udfø‘rbar practicable; 3) in compound adjectives the first part of which is al: alvi‘dende omniscient, almæ‘gtig almighty, ale‘ne alone; 4) in some other compound adjectives: höjvelbaa‘ren nobel, höjæ‘del highly noble, höjstæ‘ret highly honored, medli‘dende sympathetic, tilfre‘ds satisfied;
c) compound adverbs the first part of which is der or her and the second part a preposition, are accentuated on the first part, if they commence the sentence; if not, they are accentuated according to the logical importance of the component ​parts (see § 75): de‘ri Jiar De Ret there you are right, han gik derfra‘ med tungt Hjerte he left (literally: went thence) with a heavy heart; e‘ngang once (but no more), enga‘ng once upon a time; desvæ‘rre alass, desu‘den besides (but de‘sforuden besides), desli‘ge in the same manner, de‘suagtet never the less, de‘sangaaende thereabout; also adverbs compound with saa- and hvor- change accent according to the logical importance of the component parts: saasna‘rt (som) as soon as (but saa‘snart so soon), saa‘meget so much, saamæ‘nd indeed, saavi‘dt as far as (but saa‘ledes thus, saa‘som because), hvornaa‘r when, hvorle‘des how (but hvo‘rledes in what manner), hvorda‘n how, hvorve‘l albeit, hvorvi‘dt whether. Compound adverbs consisting of a preposition with a following substantive or adjective used as substantive as a rule have the accent on the second part; Ex.: igæ‘re going on, afste‘d off, overa‘lt everywhere, itu‘ a sunder, efterhaa‘nden by and by, oversty‘r to naught, (komme) overe‘ns (to come) to terms, foru‘den outside of, foro‘ven above, forne‘den below, tilsa‘mmen together. (But o‘verhaands, o‘vervættes exceedingly, a‘fsides apart, fo‘rlods in advance). Furthermore may be noted: alde‘les wholly, fremde‘les further, særde‘les especially, allere‘de already, alli‘gevel though, maaske‘, kanske‘ perhaps, monstro‘ I wonder.
72. In words compound with the (originally German) prefixes be-, er-, for-, ge- the accent as a rule is on the syllable following next to the prefix; Ex.: begri‘be to understand, erfa‘re to learn, Forsta‘nd sense, Gehø‘r (musical) ear. The originally German prefix for (Ger. ver) is to be distinguished from the originally Danish prefix of the same sound corresponding to English fore in such words as Fo‘rmiddag forenoon, Fo‘rløber forerunner.
73. The Danish prefix u-, Eng un-, takes the accent ​except in adjectives derived (chiefly from verbs) with the terminations -lig, -elig, -bar, -som. U‘ro disquiet, U‘aar bad year, uska‘delig harmless, uanse‘lig insignificant (but u‘adelig not of nobility), utvi‘vlsom indubitable. Note further the adjectives uvi‘dende ignorant, umæ‘lende speechless, ue‘nig of a different opinion, ukri‘stelig un-Christian, the conjunction ua‘gtet although, and the verbs uma‘ge (or u‘mage) and ulei‘lige to trouble.
74. The prefixes mis-, sam-, und-, van-, veder- as a rule have the accent; Ex.: Mi‘sdæder evildoer, Sa‘marbejde co-operation, u‘ndsige to defy, Va‘n-art wickedness, Ve‘derlag compensation, but adjectives derived in -elig and -som takes the accent on the second part of the composition: mistæ‘nksom suspicious (but Mi‘stanke suspicion), undgaa‘elig avoidable, vedersty‘ggelig abominable; and so do the following words: Misu‘ndelse envy, Undta‘gelse exception, Undvi‘gelse or U‘ndvigelse escape, undta‘gen except (but with inverted position of the words: e‘n alene u‘ndtagen one only excepted), undvæ‘rlig dispensable, samdræ‘gtig unanimous, vana‘rtig wicked, vanku‘ndig ignorant.
SENTENCE ACCENT.
75. Different from the syllabic accent is the sentence or rhetoric accent, whereby a different stress is given to the different words of the sentence according to their logical importance.
Pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and other particles as well as auxiliary verbs are as a rule unaccented. When a word is used in the sentence without stress it is subject to different changes, such as abbreviation of long sounds, loss of glottal stop (see § 76) and even loss of a part of their substance (see §§ 65 and 16).
​Sometimes the whole meaning of a sentence is changed by a change of accent: Min Ven gi'k igen my friend left again, min Ven gik ige'n my friend reappeared (as a ghost, haunted the house).
GLOTTAL STOP.
76. The accent stress (including in some cases the secondary accent) takes in Danish in a great many (originally) monosyllabic words the peculiar form of a glottal stop or catch (Sweet), by the Danish grammarians called Stødtone or Tonehold. This glottal stop is produced by a temporary closure of the glottis and a corresponding interruption of the voice, the result being a sound very similar to the one produced by cough or hiccough. Those Danish dialects, therefore, which are especially given to the use of the glottal stop are said to "hiccough the words forth". As the glottal stop consists in an interruption of the voice, it results that it can only occur in sounds that are produced or accompanied by an emission of voice (vowels and voiced consonants).
The accent stress of originally polysyllabic words is characterized by the absence of the glottal stop.
[The glottal stop is here indicated by (*).]
77. The glottal stop chiefly occurs in the following cases (although there is some difference between the various dialects and also individually as to its use):
1) a great many monosyllables: Ma*nd man, Hu*s house, faa* few (always in monosyllables consisting of long vowel sound followed by consonant (excepting Fa'r, Mo'r, Bro'r, Pe'r, Pov'l which are originally dissyllabic) or short vowel ​sound followed by two voiced consonants; as a rule in those ending in a long vowel or diphthong; those consisting of short vowels followed by h, m, n, ng, with following voiceless consonant take the glottal stop in the dialect of Sealand, but not in that of Jutland, while r in this position is incompatible with glottal stop; sometimes it occurs in words having a short vowel before one single voiced consonant).
2) many dissyllables in -el, -en and -er; Ex.: Æ*sel donkey, Vin*ter winter, A*sen donkey.
3) the radical syllable of many compound verbs, adjectives, adverbs and nouns derived from verbs, where the glottal stop is lacking in the non-compound words: Ex.: (h)jemsø*ge to visit, Me'dskyl*dig accomplice, Ankla*ger accuser.
4) in some foreign words: Kano*n, Stude*nt, Ame*rika.
78. The glottal stop serves to distinguish pairs of words which otherwise would have the same sound:
1) the definite form of monosyllables from that of dissyllables ending in -e, the former with, the latter without glottal stop.
| with glottal stop | without glottal stop |
| Aan*den the spirit (Aand) | Aand'en the breath (Aande) |
| Skø*det the lap (Skød) | Skø'det the deed (of conveyance, Skøde) |
| Bun*den the bottom (Bund) | Bond'en the peasant (Bonde) |
2) the plural form of monosyllables, ending in -cr (with stop) and of dissyllables, ending in -r (without stop).
| with stop | without stop |
| Æn*der ducks (And) | End'er ends (Ende) |
| Stæn*ger sticks (Stang) | Stæng'er hay-lofts (Stænye) |
​3) the definite form of monosyllabic substantives (with stop) and corresponding adjectives or participles (without stop).
| with stop | without stop |
| Sej*let the sail | sejl‘et sailed |
| Stø*vet the dust | støv‘et dusty |
4) past participle plural of some weak verbs (with stop) and the corresponding imperfect tense (without stop): Ex. :
(de bleve) pi*nte they were tortured; (de) pi‘nte they tortured;
5) some proper nouns (with stop) and corresponding appellatives (without stop).
| with stop | without stop |
| En*gel | Eng‘el angel |
| Jæ*ger | Jæ‘ger hunter |
| Krie(e)*ger | Kri‘ger warrior |
| Møl*ler | Møll‘er miller |
6) present tense of some verbs (with stop) and the corresponding nouns (without stop):
| with stop | without stop |
| (han) mal*er he paints | Mal‘er painter |
| “ lø*ber he runs | Løb‘er runner |
7) the definite form of some monosyllabic substantives (with stop) and verbal nouns ending in -en (without stop):
| Tviv*len the doubt | Tviv‘len doubting |
| Sme*den the smith | Sme‘den forging. |
QUANTITY OF DANISH SOUNDS.
79. Vowels and open consonants can be long or short; shut consonants (stops) are in the Danish language always short. ​Long sounds can only occur in accentuated syllables. A consonant written double between two vowels indicates that the preceding vowel is short, but final consonants are not written double to indicate shortness of preceding vowel except in a few cases where it may be done, when it is thought desirable to distinguish between two words that otherwise would look alike; Ex.: Brud(d) rupture, Brud bride, Dug(g) dew, Dug table cloth.
NOTE. In the following words consonants are written double after a long vowel to indicate the hard (non-spirantic) sound: Drægge grapnels, dægge to coddle, Hæggen the bird cherry, Læggen the calf, Lægget the fold, tuck, Plaggen the colt, Skægget the beard, Væggen the wall, Æggen the edge, Ægget the egg, Næbbet the beak Bredde breadth, Vidde width. The vowel is also long before double consonant in the following words: otte eight, sjette sixth, Sotten the sickness, Ætten the family, and in words derived by the termination -mæssig : forholdsmæssig proportionate, etc.
80. The quantity of consonants is not indicated in spelling. Long is the first of two soft consonants (l, m, n, r, d, g) in intermediate position between two vowels, the preceding vowel then being short, accentuated and pronounced without glottal stop: hamre to hammer, hornet horned, Almagt omnipotence, Stenbord stone table. (But short consonant in ramse to say by rote, Skjorte shirt, Hor*net the horn).
* ↑ As for consistency in pronunciation the Danish grammarian Dr. Jessen says, that it is not easy to find two persons who agree on this point.
* ↑ Some Danish grammarians think that the Danish diphthongs really have the consonants v and j for their second part.