Rhine Franconian pronunciation

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Spelling used here

Because the pronunciation of RF is quite different from High German, I use a different spelling:

<tr> <td>I</td> <td>ɪ</td> <td>hit (short)</td> <td>mid (with)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Î</td> <td>ɪ:</td> <td>meet (long)</td> <td>sîn (to see)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>J</td> <td>j</td> <td>yes</td> <td>jå (yes)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>K</td> <td>k</td> <td>key (only written K at the beginning of a word)</td> <td>kabes (cabbage/nonsense)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>L</td> <td>l</td> <td>love</td> <td>lang (long)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>M</td> <td>m</td> <td>moon</td> <td>muda (mother)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>N</td> <td>n</td> <td>no</td> <td>nigs (nothing)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NG</td> <td>ŋ</td> <td>sing</td> <td>singe (to sing)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>O</td> <td>ɔ</td> <td>hot (short)</td> <td>ove (above)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ô</td> <td>o:</td> <td>French eau (long)</td> <td>grôs (big/huge/tall)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>P</td> <td>p</td> <td>pay (only written P at the beginning of a word)</td> <td>pär (horse)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>R</td> <td>ʀ</td> <td>rain (actually a uvularvoicedfricative or approximant)</td> <td>rän (rain)</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>[[IPA: �?|�?]]</td> <td>gangsta (behind a vowel and preceding a consonant)</td> <td>dorf (village)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>S</td> <td>z</td> <td>zoo</td> <td>sân (to say)</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>s</td> <td>see (at the end of a syllable)</td> <td>vas (what)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SCH</td> <td>ʃ</td> <td>shine (only written SCH after A/AU/O/U)</td> <td>flasch (bottle)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SP</td> <td>ʃb</td> <td>fishbone</td> <td>spîle (to play)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>ST</td> <td>ʃd</td> <td>splashdown</td> <td>stän (stone)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>T</td> <td>t</td> <td>tea (only written T at the beginning of a word)</td> <td>tas (cup)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>U</td> <td>ʊ</td> <td>put (short)</td> <td>hudel (trouble)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Û</td> <td>ʊ:</td> <td>fool (long)</td> <td>tûd (bag)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>V</td> <td>v</td> <td>vet</td> <td>vise (to know)</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>p</td> <td>pay (at the end of a syllable)</td> <td>bûv (boy)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Z</td> <td>ʦ</td> <td>nuts</td> <td>zaie (to show)</td> </tr> </table>

Alternative spelling

I have developped an alternative spelling that follows more the traditional modern Germanic way of distinguishing between long and short syllables. Besides, I have arranged the consonants in a better (more regular, more phonemic) way.

Letter	IPA	Approximate English Sound	Example
A	a	cup	fada (father)
Â	a:	father	sân (to say)
Å	ɔ:	law	då (there)
Ä	ε:	get (but longer)	klän (small)
AI	aɪ	bye	nai (new)
AU	aʊ	cow	haus (house)
B	b	ball	bach (creek)
	p	pay (at the end of a syllable)	kab (cap)
CH	ʃ	shine	chên (beautiful)
	x	Scottish loch, Spanish hijo (after A, AU, O or U)	Tach (Good Day)
D	d	day	oda (or)
	t	tea (at the end of a syllable)	gud (good)
E	ə	action	ëbes (something)
Ê	e:	French été (long)	gên (to go)
Ë	ɛ:	get (short)	gën (to give/become)
F	f	fair	lâfe (to run)
G	g	go	guge (to look)
	k	key (at the end of a syllable)	chnåg (mosquito)
H	h	house	han (to have)</th>

<tr> <td>I</td> <td>ɪ (short)</td> <td>hit (short)</td> <td>midd (with)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>I, IE</td> <td>ɪ: (long)</td> <td>meet (long)</td> <td>sin (to see)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>J</td> <td>j</td> <td>yes</td> <td>joo (yes)</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>like CH</td> <td>like CH (at the end of a syllable)</td> <td>Vej (way)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>K</td> <td>k</td> <td>key (only written K at the beginning of a word)</td> <td>Kabbes (cabbage/nonsense)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>L, LL</td> <td>l</td> <td>light</td> <td>lang (long)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>M, MM</td> <td>m</td> <td>moon</td> <td>Muddà (mother)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>N, NN</td> <td>n</td> <td>no</td> <td>nur (only)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NG</td> <td>ŋ</td> <td>sing</td> <td>singe (to sing)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>O</td> <td>ɔ (short)</td> <td>hot (short)</td> <td>ovve (above)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>O, OO</td> <td>ɔ:</td> <td>law (long)</td> <td>doo (there)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>OH</td> <td>o:</td> <td>French eau (long)</td> <td>grohs (big/huge/tall)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>P</td> <td>p</td> <td>pay (only written P at the beginning of a word)</td> <td>Per (horse)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>R, RR</td> <td>ʀ</td> <td>rain (actually a uvularvoicedfricative or approximant)</td> <td>Ren (rain)</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>[[IPA: �?|�?]] (forming a diphthong)</td> <td>gangsta (behind a vowel and preceding a consonant)</td> <td>Dorf (village)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>S, SS</td> <td>z</td> <td>zoo</td> <td>san (to say)</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>s</td> <td>see (at the end of a syllable)</td> <td>vass (what)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SCH</td> <td>ʃ</td> <td>shine</td> <td>schen (beautiful)</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>ʒ</td> <td>measure (between two vowels)</td> <td>Flasche (bottles)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>T</td> <td>t</td> <td>tea (only written T at the beginning of a word)</td> <td>Tass (cup)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>U</td> <td>ʊ</td> <td>put (short)</td> <td>Huddel (trouble)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>U, UU</td> <td>ʊ:</td> <td>fool (long)</td> <td>Tud (bag)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>V, VV</td> <td>ʋ</td> <td>vet</td> <td>visse (to know)</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>p</td> <td>pay (at the end of a syllable)</td> <td>Buv (boy)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>X, KX</td> <td>ks</td> <td>box</td> <td>nikx (nothing)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Z, TZ</td> <td>ʦ</td> <td>nuts</td> <td>zaie (to show)</td> </tr> </table> A stressed vowel preceding exactly one consonant is long, if it precedes several consonants (including digraphs, trigraphs and double consonants) it is short. But the rules for stress and vowel length are quite complicated...

Differences with High German

• A consonant between two vowels is always voiced (softened). Thus:
  • CH [x] becomes something between CH and R [γ]
  • F [f] becomes something between F and V [f̬]
  • K [k] becomes G [g]
  • P [p] becomes B [b]
  • SS [s] becomes S [z]
  • SCH [ʃ] (English SH) becomes like the G in "Genie" (English S in "measure") [ʃ]
  • T [t] becomes D [d]
  • X [ks] is not changed
  • Z [ts] is not changed
• A long A becomes Å
• AU often becomes Â
• B becomes V
• The CH as in "ich" [ç] becomes [ʃ]
• E is dropped at the end of a word
• EN becomes E at the end of a word
• EU becomes AI
• G becomes CH at the end of a word. After E and I, it can become J. Sometimes it is just dropped behind a vowel.
• ND (sometimes also NT) often becomes N between vowels.
• Ö becomes Ë (short) or Ê (long)
• PF becomes B, at the beginning of a word P
• R is a uvular fricative (as in French), never trilled. It is not pronounced after a vowel.
• SP and ST are always pronounced [ʃb] and [ʃd] respectively.
• Ü and Y become I (short) or Î (long).

French words such as kusëng (cousin) or trodvar (trottoir) are stressed on the first syllable. This also applies to proper names such as Bômarä (Beaumarais, a quarter of Saarlouis) or Lafontän (Lafontaine, former state premier).
But the word avai (now) is stressed on the last syllable.

1. Introduction
2. Pronunciation
3. Pronouns
4. Genitive Case
5. Articles
6. People's Names
7. Verbs
8. Vocabulary
9. Expressions

>> languages >> German >> German issues >> German dialects >> Rhine Franconian

Letter	IPA	Approximate English Sound	Example
A	a	cup	Faddà (father)
A, AA	a:	father	san (to say)
AI	aɪ	bye	nai (new)
AU	aʊ	cow	haus (house)
À	[[IPA: �?|�?]]	gangsta	ivvà (over)
B, BB	b	ball	Bach (creek)
	p	pay (at the end of a syllable)	Kabb (cap)
CH	see SCH	see SCH	Leschà (holes)
	ɣ	between ʀ and x	lache (to laugh)
	x	Scottish loch, Spanish hijo (after A, AU, O or U at the end of a syllable)	Tach (Good Day)
D, DD	d	day	oddà (or)
	t	tea (at the end of a syllable)	gudd (good)
E	ə (unstressed, short)	action	holle (to take)
E	ɛ (stressed, short)	get (short)	genn (to give/become)
E, EE	ε:	get (but longer)	klen (small)
EH	e:	French été (long)	gehn (to go)
F, FF	f	fair	finne (to find)
	v	love	lafe (to run)
G, GG	g	go	gugge (to look)
	k	key (at the end of a syllable)	Schnog (mosquito)
H	h	house	hann (to have)</th>