NoW 2 Pronunciation - NoW
2 Pronunciation
Norwegian vowels
The Norwegian alphabet contains nine vowels:
|
A
|
E
|
I
|
O
|
U
|
|
Y
|
Æ
|
Ø
|
Å
|
The vowel letters may indicate short or long vowel sounds. All nine vowels may occur as long or short. In the examples below, the colon, < ː >, indicates a long vowel. Absence of colon after the vowel indicates a short vowel.
The vowel is usually short before two or more consonant letters:
| <takk> | /'tɑk/ | thank you |
| <legge> | /'lege/ | put |
In other cases the vowel is normally long:
| <ta> | /'tɑː/ | take |
| <tak> | /'tɑːk/ | roof |
| <lege> | /'leːge/ | doctor |
In addition to the distinction between short and long vowel, some vowel letters in Norwegian may also represent other vowel sounds:
1) In many words a short < o > is pronounced like < å >:
| <komme> | /'kome/ | come |
| <jobbe> | /'jobe/ | work |
2) A short < u > may be pronounced as < o >:
| <nummer> | /'numer/ | number |
3) In many words with < e > + r, both short and long < e > is pronounced like < æ >:
| <terminal> | /tærmi'nɑːl/ | terminal |
| <er> | /'æːr/ | am, are, is |
| <her> | /'hæːr/ | here |
4) In one important word < e > is pronounced < i >:
| <de> | /'diː/ | they |
The Norwegian and English vowel letters compared
| Norwegian letter |
English |
|---|---|
| a | Like <a> in «hard» |
| e | Like <e> in «bed» |
| i | Like <ee> in «see» |
| o | No equivalent |
| u | Approximately as the final vowel in «new» |
| y | No equivalent |
| æ | Like <a> in «bad» |
| ø | No equivalent |
| å | Like <aw> in «saw» |