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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>Notes on pronunciation</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.79.2"/><link rel="home" href="index.xhtml" title="GERMAN Basic Course"/><link rel="up" href="ch01.xhtml" title="Chapter 1. Unit 1"/><link rel="prev" href="ch01.xhtml" title="Chapter 1. Unit 1"/><link rel="next" href="ch01s03.xhtml" title="Notes on grammar"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Notes on pronunciation</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="ch01.xhtml">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">Chapter 1. Unit 1</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch01s03.xhtml">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="d5e820"/>Notes on pronunciation</h2></div></div></div><p>The spelling of a language only symbolizes to the native speaker the sounds Which he
already knows. You will learn these sounds directly from your instructor; the spelling will
serve as an aid to listening. No spelling system adequately represents the sounds of the
spoken language, and no attempt will be made at this point to outline exactly what sounds
are represented by what symbols of the German spelling system. We will however present for
particular drill and attention in each unit certain sounds which have shown themselves to be
difficult for speakers of American English. In the meantime we ask you to remember two
cardinal points:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>The German of your text is printed in the standard German written style.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>The letter-symbols used, although in most cases the same symbols we use in written
English, in most cases do not represent exactly the same sounds we use in English.
Therefore, DO NOT EXPECT GERMAN WRITTEN SYMBOLS TO REPRESENT SOUND VALUES YOU KNOW IN
ENGLISH.</p></li></ol></div><p>Pronunciation Practices. To be drilled in class.</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">A. Short Vowels</span></dt><dd><p>The German short vowels i,e,a and u are not dissimilar from English sounds. The
o, however, is probably different from any sound that you have in English. Do not
try to replace it by a sound from English, but rather reproduce the pronunciation of
your instructor. The German front rounded vowels ö and ü do not occur in English. To
produce the ö, put your tongue in the position for the German e and round your lips;
for ü, put your tongue in the position for the German i and round your lips. You
will then produce a sound similar to the German sound. Experiment until your
instructor is satisfied with your pronunciation. Do not worry about the meaning of
the words in these practices. Concentrate instead on the sounds.</p><div class="informaltable"><table><col width="20%"/><col width="20%"/><col width="20%"/><col width="20%"/><col width="20%"/><thead><tr>
<td align="center" colspan="5" valign="top">Practice l(a)</td>
</tr></thead><tr valign="top">
<td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short i
</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short
e</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short
a</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short
o</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short u
</strong></span></td>
</tr><tr valign="top">
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">bitte</em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> denn
</em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> das
</em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
kostet </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> muss
</em></span></td>
</tr><tr valign="top">
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> ist
</em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
essen </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Mann
</em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
Sonne </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
Mutter </em></span></td>
</tr><tr valign="top">
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> in
</em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
etwas </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> an
</em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
Doktor </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> und
</em></span></td>
</tr><tr valign="top">
<td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short ö
</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short
ü</strong></span></td>
<td/>
<td/>
<td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> - e (unstressed)
</strong></span></td>
</tr><tr valign="top">
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
können </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
Mütter </em></span></td>
<td/>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
bitte </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
genug </em></span></td>
</tr><tr valign="top">
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
möchte </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> fünf
</em></span></td>
<td/>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
danke </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
gesehen </em></span></td>
</tr><tr valign="top">
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
öfter </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
Hütte </em></span></td>
<td/>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
Sonne </em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
bekommen </em></span></td>
</tr></table></div><div class="informaltable"><table><col width="50%"/><col width="50%"/><tr valign="top">
<td align="left">Practice 1(b)</td>
<td/>
</tr><tr valign="top">
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">mit</em></span> - <span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">Mütter</em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">kennen</em></span> - <span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">können</em></span></td>
</tr><tr valign="top">
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">missen</em></span> - <span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">müssen</em></span></td>
<td align="center"><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">stecke</em></span> - <span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">Stöcke</em></span></td>
</tr></table></div></dd><dt><span class="term">B. Long Vowels</span></dt><dd><p>There are no sounds in English exactly like the German long vowels. If you will
pronounce English gate and then ask your instructor to pronounce German <span class="bold"><strong><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">geht</em></span></strong></span>, you
will notice that the English vowel sound seems to change during its pronunciation,
but the German sound seems tense and stable throughout its duration. Your tongue
actually moves during the production of the English vowel sound, but during the
production of the German sound the tongue remains in the same position. The long ö
and ü are formed approximately like short ö and ü. Pronounce German long e and round
your lips to form ö , and pronounce German long i and round your lips to form
ü</p><p><span class="bold"><strong>Practice 2(a)</strong></span></p><div class="informaltable"><table><col width="12.5%"/><col width="12.5%"/><col width="12.5%"/><col width="12.5%"/><col width="12.5%"/><col width="12.5%"/><col width="12.5%"/><col width="12.5%"/><tr align="center">
<td>Long</td>
<td>i</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>a</td>
<td>o</td>
<td>u</td>
<td>ö</td>
<td>ü</td>
</tr><tr align="center">
<td/>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> wie
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> geht
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Tag
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Sohn
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> gut
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> König
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> für
</em></span></td>
</tr><tr align="center">
<td/>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> ihnen
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Tee
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Abend
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> oder
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> du
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> schön
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Tür
</em></span></td>
</tr><tr align="center">
<td/>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> viel
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> den
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Bahn
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> wo
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Flug
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> öde
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">über
</em></span></td>
</tr></table></div><p><span class="bold"><strong>Practice 2(b)</strong></span></p><div class="informaltable"><table><col width="50%"/><col width="50%"/><tr align="center">
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">vier</em></span>
- <span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">für</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">lesen</em></span> - <span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">lösen</em></span></td>
</tr><tr align="center">
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">Tier</em></span>
- <span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">Tür</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">Sehne</em></span> - <span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">Söhne</em></span></td>
</tr></table></div></dd><dt><span class="term">C.</span></dt><dd><p><span class="bold"><strong>Distinguishing Long and Short Vowels</strong></span></p><p>It is NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE to distinguish long and short vowels in written
German, as the German spelling system does not consistently mark them as such. Your
best guide to the pronunciation of any given word is the way your native instructor
pronounces it. However, a few hints can be given which will help you to recognize
them <span class="bold"><strong>most</strong></span> of the time. If you look back at the
practice lists above you will see that the short vowels in <span class="bold"><strong>most</strong></span> cases are followed by two or more consonants and they are always
written with a single letter symbol. Then note that the long vowels are <span class="bold"><strong>not always</strong></span> written with a single letter symbol and usually
are followed by only one consonant. The following combinations of letters always
designate long vowels: ie, ih - eh, ee - ah, aa - oh, oo - uh - öh - üh</p></dd><dt><span class="term">D.</span></dt><dd><p><span class="bold"><strong>Diphthongs</strong></span></p><p>These combinations of two vowel sounds in German are very similar, though not
identical to certain vowel combinations in English.</p><p><span class="bold"><strong>Practice 3</strong></span></p><div class="informaltable"><table><col width="33%"/><col width="33%"/><col width="33%"/><tr align="center">
<td>ei</td>
<td>au</td>
<td>eu (äu)</td>
</tr><tr align="center">
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> nein
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> auch
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> deutsch
</em></span></td>
</tr><tr align="center">
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> eins
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Tau
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> neun
</em></span></td>
</tr><tr align="center">
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Wein
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Laut
</em></span></td>
<td><span xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em xml:lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> läute
</em></span></td>
</tr></table></div></dd></dl></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="ch01.xhtml">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="ch01.xhtml">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch01s03.xhtml">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Chapter 1. Unit 1 </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.xhtml">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Notes on grammar</td></tr></table></div></body></html>