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  3. <title xmlns:ng="http://docbook.org/docbook-ng">Notes on pronunciation</title><meta xmlns:ng="http://docbook.org/docbook-ng" name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.79.2"><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="GERMAN Basic Course"><link rel="up" href="ch01.html" title="Chapter&nbsp;1.&nbsp;Unit 1"><link rel="prev" href="ch01.html" title="Chapter&nbsp;1.&nbsp;Unit 1"><link rel="next" href="ch01s03.html" title="Notes on grammar"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><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.html">Prev</a>&nbsp;</td><th width="60%" align="center">Chapter&nbsp;1.&nbsp;Unit 1</th><td width="20%" align="right">&nbsp;<a accesskey="n" href="ch01s03.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="d5e820"></a>Notes on pronunciation</h2></div></div></div><p>The spelling of a language only symbolizes to the native speaker the sounds Which he
  4. already knows. You will learn these sounds directly from your instructor; the spelling will
  5. serve as an aid to listening. No spelling system adequately represents the sounds of the
  6. spoken language, and no attempt will be made at this point to outline exactly what sounds
  7. are represented by what symbols of the German spelling system. We will however present for
  8. particular drill and attention in each unit certain sounds which have shown themselves to be
  9. difficult for speakers of American English. In the meantime we ask you to remember two
  10. 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
  11. English, in most cases do not represent exactly the same sounds we use in English.
  12. Therefore, DO NOT EXPECT GERMAN WRITTEN SYMBOLS TO REPRESENT SOUND VALUES YOU KNOW IN
  13. 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
  14. o, however, is probably different from any sound that you have in English. Do not
  15. try to replace it by a sound from English, but rather reproduce the pronunciation of
  16. your instructor. The German front rounded vowels &ouml; and &uuml; do not occur in English. To
  17. produce the &ouml;, put your tongue in the position for the German e and round your lips;
  18. for &uuml;, put your tongue in the position for the German i and round your lips. You
  19. will then produce a sound similar to the German sound. Experiment until your
  20. instructor is satisfied with your pronunciation. Do not worry about the meaning of
  21. 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>
  22. <td align="center" colspan="5" valign="top">Practice l(a)</td>
  23. </tr></thead><tr valign="top">
  24. <td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short i
  25. </strong></span></td>
  26. <td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short
  27. e</strong></span></td>
  28. <td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short
  29. a</strong></span></td>
  30. <td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short
  31. o</strong></span></td>
  32. <td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short u
  33. </strong></span></td>
  34. </tr><tr valign="top">
  35. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">bitte</em></span></td>
  36. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> denn
  37. </em></span></td>
  38. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> das
  39. </em></span></td>
  40. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  41. kostet </em></span></td>
  42. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> muss
  43. </em></span></td>
  44. </tr><tr valign="top">
  45. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> ist
  46. </em></span></td>
  47. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  48. essen </em></span></td>
  49. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Mann
  50. </em></span></td>
  51. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  52. Sonne </em></span></td>
  53. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  54. Mutter </em></span></td>
  55. </tr><tr valign="top">
  56. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> in
  57. </em></span></td>
  58. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  59. etwas </em></span></td>
  60. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> an
  61. </em></span></td>
  62. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  63. Doktor </em></span></td>
  64. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> und
  65. </em></span></td>
  66. </tr><tr valign="top">
  67. <td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short &ouml;
  68. </strong></span></td>
  69. <td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> Short
  70. &uuml;</strong></span></td>
  71. <td></td>
  72. <td></td>
  73. <td align="center"><span class="bold"><strong> - e (unstressed)
  74. </strong></span></td>
  75. </tr><tr valign="top">
  76. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  77. k&ouml;nnen </em></span></td>
  78. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  79. M&uuml;tter </em></span></td>
  80. <td></td>
  81. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  82. bitte </em></span></td>
  83. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  84. genug </em></span></td>
  85. </tr><tr valign="top">
  86. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  87. m&ouml;chte </em></span></td>
  88. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> f&uuml;nf
  89. </em></span></td>
  90. <td></td>
  91. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  92. danke </em></span></td>
  93. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  94. gesehen </em></span></td>
  95. </tr><tr valign="top">
  96. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  97. &ouml;fter </em></span></td>
  98. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  99. H&uuml;tte </em></span></td>
  100. <td></td>
  101. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  102. Sonne </em></span></td>
  103. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">
  104. bekommen </em></span></td>
  105. </tr></table></div><div class="informaltable"><table><col width="50%"><col width="50%"><tr valign="top">
  106. <td align="left">Practice 1(b)</td>
  107. <td></td>
  108. </tr><tr valign="top">
  109. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">mit</em></span> - <span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">M&uuml;tter</em></span></td>
  110. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">kennen</em></span> - <span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">k&ouml;nnen</em></span></td>
  111. </tr><tr valign="top">
  112. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">missen</em></span> - <span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">m&uuml;ssen</em></span></td>
  113. <td align="center"><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">stecke</em></span> - <span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">St&ouml;cke</em></span></td>
  114. </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
  115. pronounce English gate and then ask your instructor to pronounce German <span class="bold"><strong><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">geht</em></span></strong></span>, you
  116. will notice that the English vowel sound seems to change during its pronunciation,
  117. but the German sound seems tense and stable throughout its duration. Your tongue
  118. actually moves during the production of the English vowel sound, but during the
  119. production of the German sound the tongue remains in the same position. The long &ouml;
  120. and &uuml; are formed approximately like short &ouml; and &uuml;. Pronounce German long e and round
  121. your lips to form &ouml; , and pronounce German long i and round your lips to form
  122. &uuml;</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">
  123. <td>Long</td>
  124. <td>i</td>
  125. <td>e</td>
  126. <td>a</td>
  127. <td>o</td>
  128. <td>u</td>
  129. <td>&ouml;</td>
  130. <td>&uuml;</td>
  131. </tr><tr align="center">
  132. <td></td>
  133. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> wie
  134. </em></span></td>
  135. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> geht
  136. </em></span></td>
  137. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Tag
  138. </em></span></td>
  139. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Sohn
  140. </em></span></td>
  141. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> gut
  142. </em></span></td>
  143. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> K&ouml;nig
  144. </em></span></td>
  145. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> f&uuml;r
  146. </em></span></td>
  147. </tr><tr align="center">
  148. <td></td>
  149. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> ihnen
  150. </em></span></td>
  151. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Tee
  152. </em></span></td>
  153. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Abend
  154. </em></span></td>
  155. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> oder
  156. </em></span></td>
  157. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> du
  158. </em></span></td>
  159. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> sch&ouml;n
  160. </em></span></td>
  161. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> T&uuml;r
  162. </em></span></td>
  163. </tr><tr align="center">
  164. <td></td>
  165. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> viel
  166. </em></span></td>
  167. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> den
  168. </em></span></td>
  169. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Bahn
  170. </em></span></td>
  171. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> wo
  172. </em></span></td>
  173. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Flug
  174. </em></span></td>
  175. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> &ouml;de
  176. </em></span></td>
  177. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">&uuml;ber
  178. </em></span></td>
  179. </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">
  180. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">vier</em></span>
  181. - <span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">f&uuml;r</em></span></td>
  182. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">lesen</em></span> - <span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">l&ouml;sen</em></span></td>
  183. </tr><tr align="center">
  184. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">Tier</em></span>
  185. - <span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">T&uuml;r</em></span></td>
  186. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">Sehne</em></span> - <span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase">S&ouml;hne</em></span></td>
  187. </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
  188. German, as the German spelling system does not consistently mark them as such. Your
  189. best guide to the pronunciation of any given word is the way your native instructor
  190. pronounces it. However, a few hints can be given which will help you to recognize
  191. them <span class="bold"><strong>most</strong></span> of the time. If you look back at the
  192. 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
  193. 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
  194. are followed by only one consonant. The following combinations of letters always
  195. designate long vowels: ie, ih - eh, ee - ah, aa - oh, oo - uh - &ouml;h - &uuml;h</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
  196. 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">
  197. <td>ei</td>
  198. <td>au</td>
  199. <td>eu (&auml;u)</td>
  200. </tr><tr align="center">
  201. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> nein
  202. </em></span></td>
  203. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> auch
  204. </em></span></td>
  205. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> deutsch
  206. </em></span></td>
  207. </tr><tr align="center">
  208. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> eins
  209. </em></span></td>
  210. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Tau
  211. </em></span></td>
  212. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> neun
  213. </em></span></td>
  214. </tr><tr align="center">
  215. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Wein
  216. </em></span></td>
  217. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> Laut
  218. </em></span></td>
  219. <td><span lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="de-1901" class="foreignphrase"> l&auml;ute
  220. </em></span></td>
  221. </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.html">Prev</a>&nbsp;</td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="ch01.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right">&nbsp;<a accesskey="n" href="ch01s03.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Chapter&nbsp;1.&nbsp;Unit 1&nbsp;</td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top">&nbsp;Notes on grammar</td></tr></table></div></body></html>