Icelandic is a notoriously difficult language to pronounce for most non-native speakers, but the good news is that, unlike English, the pronunciation is regular. That means that once you learn the rules, you don't have to worry about words that break the rules because those rules will always apply-- there are no "silent letters" or anything of that sort here.
Below is a rough guide to the pronunciation of Icelandic, using English words when possible to demonstrate the sounds. Of course, it is a lot more nuanced than this, and the only way to really master the subtleties of the pronunciation is to listen to native speakers and practice frequently. For a more in-depth guide, Wikipedia actually has a good article on Icelandic phonology, though it assumes a working knowledge of IPA.
Also, a quick note about stress: in Icelandic, every single word is stressed on the very first syllable, even if the word has ten syllables that follow.
VOWELS
A, a is pronounced like the "a" in spa.
Á, á is pronounced like the "ow" in cow.
E, e is pronounced like the "e" in pet.
É, é is pronounced like the "ye" in yes.
I, i is pronounced like the "i" in fish.
Í, í is pronounced like the "ee" in see.
O, o is pronounced like the "o" in coffee.
Ó, ó is pronounced like the "o" in home.
U, u is pronounced like this non-English sound (similar to a French "u").
Ú, ú is pronounced like the "oo" in moon.
Y, y is pronounced like the "i" in fish.
Ý, ý is pronounced like the "ee" in see.
Æ, æ is pronounced like the "i" in fine
Ö, ö is pronounced like this non-English sound
au is pronounced by first making this non-English sound and then quickly shifting to the "ee" in see. Listen to the pronunciation of þau here for an example.
ei is pronounced like the "ay" in day
ey is pronounced like the "ay" in day
CONSONANTS
B, b is pronounced like the "p" in pet (but without any aspiration or "h sound")
D, d is pronounced like the "t" in ten (but without any aspiration)
Ð, ð is pronounced like the "th" in bathe.
F, f is pronounced either...
- like the "v" in van between vowels
- like the "p" in pet after an "l" or "n"
- or like the "f" in food everywhere else.
- like the "ch" in loch (say it like you're Scottish) between a vowel and an "s" or "t"
- like the "y" in yes between a vowel and an "i" or "j"
- like this non-English sound after vowels (except in the cases listed above)
- like the "k" in kite everywhere else.
- like the "k" in kite after a "v"
- like the "h" in horse everywhere else.
K, k is pronounced either...
- like the "ch" in loch (again, say it like you're Scottish) between a vowel and an "s" or "t"
- like the "k" in kite everywhere else.
- like the "f" in food before "k," "s," or "t."
- like the "p" in pet everywhere else.
S, s is pronounced like the "s" in seed (never like the "s" in rose)
T, t is pronounced like the "t" in ten.
V, v is pronounced like the "v" in van.
X, x is pronounced like the "x" in six.
Þ, þ is pronounced like the "th" in bath (never like the "th" in bathe)
ll is pronounced as if it were "tl." This is tricky at the end of a word; listen to the pronunciation of sæll here for an example.
nn is pronounced as it it were "tn" after accented vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú, ý) and diphthongs only. This is also tricky at the end of words; listen to the pronunciation of einn here for an example.
After vowels, the combinations rl, rn, sl, and sn are pronounced as if a "t" were inserted in the middle of the two letters. Listen to the Icelandic pronunciations following words for examples: karl, barn, Ísland, snjór.
The clusters ng and nk cause changes in the vowels that come before them. These changes are as follows:
- a is pronounced like á
- e is pronounced like ei
- i/y is pronounced like í/ý
- u is pronounced like ú
- ö is pronounced like au
- all other vowels are pronounced as normal
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment