Page:A Danish and Dano-Norwegian grammar.djvu/31

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DANISH SOUNDS.
17

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), (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) con-