Appendix:Norwegian Nynorsk pronunciation

This is a guide to the pronunciation of Norwegian Nynorsk and how to transcribe pronunciations on Wiktionary.

There is no centrally mandated pronunciation of Norwegian. In Wiktionary, the pronunciation given for Norwegian Nynorsk generally reflects the pronunciation in the parts of Norway where Nynorsk is mostly used, as well as which has the most phonemes. The phonemic transcriptions will ideally differentiate between phonemes that may have merged in some dialects. Other pronunciations may also be possible.

Consonants

/p, t, k/ are all aspirated and pronounced almost identically to the equivalent English sounds. /b, d, ɡ/ are distinctly voiced, moreso than the English equivalents of most dialects.

The pronunciation of /r/ varies in the various dialects. In eastern dialects the pronunciation is more forward, or while the pronunciation in south western dialects is further back, . The northernmost dialects use , akin to English and Faroese.

In some dialects /s, t, d, n, l/ merge with /r/ and /ɽ/ into retroflex , or postalveolar . Some dialects further differentiate between /r/ and /ɽ/ and pronounce /rn/ like (while /n/ is ), and /ɽn/ like . In some dialects, /rɽ/ also merge into .

Eastern Norwegian realisation or /r/ + alveolars

• /rs/ → , , (regional) , : Lars, , “Lars, male given name”
• /rt/ → , , (regional) , : bart, , “moustache”
• /rd/ → , , (regional) , : når du, , “when you”; varde, , “lasted”
• /rn/ → , , (regional) , : garn, , “yarn”; farne, , “gone (plural)”
• /rl/ → , , (regional) , : farleg, , “dangerous”

Old Norse /rs/ or /rn/ have commonly turned into /sː/ and /nː/, but some dialects retain /rs/ and /rn/. Loanwords or literary words with ⟨rs⟩ and ⟨rn⟩ have /rs/ and /rn/ in all dialects.

⟨rd⟩ is usually /r/ or /ɽ/ in native words, descending from Old Norse /rð/. Most loanwords, however, and some literary words, have /rd/.

/ɽ/ + alveolars

• /ɽs/ → , : hals, /haɽs/ → “neck”; gulsott, /²ɡʊːɽ.sutː/ → “jaundice”
• /ɽt/ → , : gult, /ɡʊɽt/ → “yellow (neuter)”; måltid, /²mɔːɽ.tiː/ → “meal, time for eating”
• /ɽd/ → , || hulder, /¹hʊɽd.əɾ/ → “hulder, elf”; valde, /²vaɽ.də/ → “chose”; bordduk, /²buːɽ.dʉːk/ → “tablecloth”
• /ɽn/ → , : garden, /¹ɡaːɽ.n̩/ → “the farm”; jordnær, /²juːɽ.næːr/ → “down to earth”
• /ɽl/ → , : mållag, /²mɔːɽ.laːɡ/ → “language organisation”; nordleg, /²nuːɽ.lə(ɡ)/ → “northern”
• /ɽr/ → : gulrot, /²ɡʊːɽ.ruːt/ → “carrot”

Alveolars following retroflexes may also become retroflex, for instance huldra /¹hʊɽd.ra/ → , hårstrikk /²ho̞ːr.strɪkˑ/ → → , and nummer tre /ˌnumːər ˈtreː/ → .

Vowels

The phoneme /a/ is realised as a lowered near-open central vowel , or centralised open back unrounded vowel . In the dialects of Solør and Hedmarka, it’s .

In many Norwegian dialects, /y/ and /ʏ/ are different phonemes, such as in hyl “scream” and hỳl “river pothole”. In other dialects, may merge with (compare the spelling høl from earlier hyl, hỳl), and leave as an allophone of . Most Norwegian phonologies, as a result of basing themselves on Urban East Norwegian, don’t treat as a phoneme, despite the presence in the Norwegian spoken language. This has not been the tradition with Nynorsk, and dictionaries like Norsk Ordbog by Ivar Aasen differenciate between the “open” and “closed” . This is similar to how one differenciates between e.g. and in hól “low hillock” and hòl “hole”.

In some dialects, like the one of Setesdal, the “closed” y (< Old Norse ý, ȳ) has developed into a diphthong. A word like sky (< Old Norse ský) is therefore pronounced or . The “open” y (< Old Norse y) is pronounced like or . Example: ON fyl → “foal”; ON synir → (sỳni) “sons”. The latter has also become (sø̀ni).

The Norwegian /y/ and /ʏ/ are commonly realised as protruded and , while it’s common to write them as and . Some dialects, in Western Telemark and North Gudbrand Valley, use the non-protruded, or regular, y and . Example: syl “awl”. The distinction is therefore relevant, not only on an international level, but also on a national one.

Short å has commonly the more open pronunciation , so that the neuter of grå is instead of . In Setesdal, the vowel retains its length even before long consonant sounds, and does not change quality. Grått is therefore .

The vowel å (from Old Norse á) has some places become a diphthong, most prominently in Hardanger, Voss and Sogn, with the pronunciations , or . The eye dialect spelling of this is commonly ao or åo, such as in sognamaol (sognamål, lit. ‘Sogn language’), the dialect of Sogn.

The diphthong au is pronounced in various ways, most commonly and , but some places also , , , , and . In Setesdal, Hallingdal, Valdres, and parts of Nordfjord and Sunnmøre, it is pronounced , and . Setesdal also has and , and in the southern part.

The diphthong ei has a smaller amount of variations, and is most commonly pronounced or . Other pronunciations are in Setesdal, Hallingdal, Valdres, Hardanger, Voss, Inner Nordfjord and South Gudbrand Valley, and also in the latter two. Setesdal also has and .

The diphthong øy is almost always , with the most common exception being dialects where it’s merged with ei due to iotacism. Parts of Inner Hordaland, Sogn, Inner Nordfjord and Inner Sunnmøre have , and other places have , , , and . In Setesdal, it’s .

Stress and tonemes

Most dialects of Norwegian separate between two distinct tonemes. The way they are realised differs considerably between different dialects. The table gives only a few examples.

References