Dutch phonology

The other cases are always written with the voiced consonant, but a devoiced one is actually pronounced: the "d" in plural baarden [ˈbaːrdə(n)] is retained in singular spelling baard ('beard'), but the pronunciation of the latter is [baːrt], and plural ribben [ˈrɪbə(n)] has singular rib ('rib'), pronounced [rɪp].

Because of assimilation, the initial /v z ɣ/ of the next word is often also devoiced: het vee ('the cattle') is [(ɦ)ət feː].

The rule is also suppressed syllable-finally in certain compounds; compare roux-room [ˈruroːm] with roerroom [ˈruːr(r)oːm] and Ruhr-Ohm [ˈruːroːm].

[27][60] /ɛ, ɔ/ are typically somewhat lengthened and centralized before /r/ in Northern Standard Dutch and Randstad, usually with a slight schwa-like offglide: [ɛ̈ə̆, ɔ̈ə̆].

[66] The free vowels /eː, øː, oː/ are realized as monophthongs [eː, øː, oː] in Belgian Standard Dutch (Jo Verhoeven describes the Belgian Standard Dutch realization of /øː/ as mid-central [ɵ̞ː]) and in many regional accents.

Therefore, the phonemic contrast between /eː, øː, oː/ and /ɛi, œy, ɔu/ is still strongly maintained, but its phonetic realization is very different from what one can typically hear in traditional Northern Standard Dutch.

[71] In Northern Standard Dutch and in Randstad, /eː, øː, oː/ lose their closing glides and are raised and slightly centralized to [ɪː, ʏː, ʊː] (often with a schwa-like off-glide [ɪə, ʏə, ʊə]) before /r/ in the same word.

An exception to the centralizing rule are syllable-final /eː, øː, oː/ in compounds such as zeereis [ˈzeɪˌrɛis]ⓘ ('sea voyage'), milieuramp [mɪlˈjøʏˌrɑmp]ⓘ ('environmental disaster') and bureauredactrice [byˈroʊredɑkˌtrisə] ('desk editor (f.)').

The distinction is not considered to be a part of Standard Dutch and is not recognized in educational materials, but it is still present in many local varieties, such as Antwerpian, Limburgish, West Flemish and Zeelandic.

In Northern Standard Dutch and some other accents, /ɑ, aː/ are realized so that the former is a back vowel [ɑ], whereas the latter is central [äː] or front [aː].

[51][75][52] Other accents may have different realizations: Before /r/, /ɑ/ is typically a slight centering diphthong with a centralized first element ([ɐə̆]) in Northern Standard Dutch and in Randstad.

Phonemically, they are considered to be sequences of /iʋ, yʋ, uj, eːʋ, ɔj, oːj, ɑj, aːj/ by Geert Booij and as monosyllabic sequences /iu, yu, ui, eːu, oːi, aːi/ by Beverley Collins and Inger Mees (they do not comment on [ɔi] and [ɑi]).

In Northern Standard Dutch, the second elements of [iu, yu, eːu] can be labiodental [iʋ, yʋ, eːʋ].

[63] In Northern Standard Dutch and regional Netherlands Standard Dutch, the close-mid elements of [eːu, oːi] may be subject to the same kind of diphthongization as /eː, oː/, so they may be actually triphthongs with two closing elements [eɪu, oʊi] ([eːu] can instead be [eɪʋ], a closing diphthong followed by [ʋ]).

[93][Please elaborate on exceptions] The word boeren generally takes secondary stress in compounds: boerenkool /ˌburənˈkoːl/, boerenland /ˌburənˈlɑnt/.

In some cases the secondary stress in a compound shifts to preserve a trochaic pattern: eiland /ˈɛi̯ˌlɑnt/, but schateiland /ˈsxɑt.ɛi̯ˌlɑnt/.

Historically, the stress accent has reduced most vowels in unstressed syllables to [ə], as in most other Germanic languages.

The CC-structure can be realized by almost all stops and non-sibilant, non-glottal fricatives followed by the sonorants /r/ or /l/, exceptions are that /dl/ and /tl/ are impossible: /br/ brutaal, /bl/ bling, /pr/ /pl/ printplaat, /kr/ krimp, /kl/ kloot, /ɡr/ grapefruit, /ɡl/ glossy, /tr/ truck, /dr/ droevig, /vr/ vrij, wreken, /vl/ vlaag, /fr/ fris, /fl/ flodder, /ɣr/ groen, /ɣl/ glunderen, /xr/ chrisma, /xl/ chloroform.

Dutch (with the exception of the Limburg dialects) did not participate in the second Germanic consonant shift: Dutch has also preserved the fricative variety of Proto-Germanic */ɡ/ as /ɣ/ (devoiced to /x/ in the north), in contrast with some dialects of German, which generalised the stop [ɡ], and English, which lost the fricative variety through regular sound changes.

The phonetic transcription illustrates a Western Netherlandic, educated, middle-generation speech and a careful colloquial style.

[99] De noordenwind en de zon waren ruzie aan het maken over wie het sterkste was toen er een reiziger voorbij kwam met een warme jas aan.

[99] /də ˈnoːrdənʋɪnt ɛn də ˈzɔn | ˈʋaːrən ˈryzi aːn ət ˈmaːkən | ˈoːvər ʋi ɦət ˈstɛrkstə ʋɑs | ˈtun ər ən ˈrɛizɪɣər voːrˈbɛi kʋɑm mɛt ən ˈʋɑrmə ˈjɑs aːn/ [də ˈnoːrdə(n)wɪnt ɛn də ˈzɔn | ˈwaːrə(n) ˈryzi aːn ət ˈmaːkə(n) | ˈoːvər wi ɦət ˈstɛr(ə)kstə wɑs | ˈtun ər ən ˈrɛizɪɣər voːrˈbɛi ˈkwɑm mɛt ən ˈwɑrmə ˈjɑz‿aːn][99] Media related to Dutch phonology at Wikimedia Commons