Dutch Phonology - Vowels

Vowels

Dutch has an extensive vowel inventory consisting of 13 plain vowels and four diphthongs. The vowels /eː øː oː/ are included in the diphthong chart below because many northern dialects realize them as diphthongs, though they behave phonologically like the other simple vowels. When they precede /r/, these vowels are pronounced either as monophthongs, or as centering diphthongs, depending on the dialect. Some, particularly Netherlandic speakers have similar allophones before dark l. Some speakers may not have such allophones at all, and pronounce in every position. (a near-open central vowel) is an allophone of unstressed /a/ and /ɑ/.

Vowel length is not always considered a distinctive feature in Dutch phonology, because it is usually paired with changes in vowel quality. However, there are some minimal pairs distinguished by length alone. One example occurs in dialects where the opposition between voiced and voiceless fricatives has been neutralised (by devoicing the voiced fricatives); in these dialects, roze ("pink") and rosse ("red-haired") are not only a minimal pair, but could even conceivably lead to misunderstanding if misheard (is someone's hair red or pink?). Compare kroes ("mug") versus cruise ("cruise").

^1 /ɪ ʏ y/ are lowered and backed, and sound more like respectively.

^2 The difference between /i y u/ and /iː yː uː/ is marginal and almost allophonic. The long vowels occur only in loanwords, except before /r/ where they are allophones of the short vowels.

^3 Mostly in onomatopoeias and loanwords.

^4 Pronounced as long vowels in Belgium (but dialect of Antwerp realizes /eː/ as ), southern Netherlands (Zeeland, southern North Brabant and most of Limburg) and some Dutch Low Saxon parts of the Netherlands, but as narrow closing diphthongs in the rest of the Netherlands. The transcription /eɪ øʏ oʊ/ for this diphthongal pronunciation is non-standard and used here for the sake of clarity. /øʏ/ is rather central than front, so it would be more accurate to transcribe it as /ɵʉ/.

^5 The first element of /ɛi/ is pronounced more open than the vowel in bed - . For some Netherlandic speakers it may be as open as, or even . The transcription /æi/ is non-standard and used here for the sake of clarity. On the other hand, the dialect of Antwerp realizes /ɛi/ as . Many Belgians tend to monophthongize it .

^6 In most of the Netherlands /œy/ is pronounced more in the back, like . Such a transcription is non-standard and used here (though without the diactric for simplicity) for the sake of clarity. This doesn't apply to southern Netherlandic Dutch and Flemish Dutch, as dialects from these regions either preserve the traditional pronunciation, or pronounce a monophthong instead.

^7 Pronounced /ʌu/ in Northern Standard Dutch and /ɔu/ in Standard Belgian Dutch according to Verhoeven. A better approximation for at least the Northern Dutch pronunciation is /ɑu/. Some Dutchmen may pronounce this diphthong more open - . The onset of Standard Belgian /ɔu/ is more open than cardinal /ɔ/ -, and many Belgians tend to monophthongize it to .