Pronouncing Foreign Words

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Pronouncing Foreign Words

Americans seem to have great trouble pronouncing foreign words. There are a number of reasons for this. But mainly, the reason is that American English vowels are often not pronounced like the same vowels in other languages.

Basically, the consonants are mostly like English, except that c is usually pronounced like k, j is y, q is k, w is v, and r is rolled. Vowels are normally like this: a is ah, e is ay, i is ee, o is o, u is oo, y is ee.

Here is a more detailed guide [with exceptions in brackets] for most European languages.

Consonants (like English, except where noted):

b [German: p when the last letter of a syllable. Spanish: v with lips together between vowels. Portuguese: v with lips together often]
c=k [German: ts before e, i, ö, ä. Italian: ch before e, i. Polish: ts. Portuguese: s before e, i]
ç (French & Portuguese)=s
ch=sh [Dutch: kh as in Scottish loch. German: kh as in Scottish loch, with tongue near front teeth after i. Italian: k. Polish: h. Spanish: ch (as English ch)]
chtj (Dutch)=khy (kh as in Scottish loch)
cz (Polish)=ch (like German tsch)
d [Danish: soft with tongue between teeth (somewhat like th in "this") at end of syllable. Dutch: t at end of word. German: t when the last letter of a syllable. Norwegian: silent after l, n, r. Spanish: soft with tongue between teeth (somewhat like th in "this") in European Spanish. Portuguese: often soft with tongue between teeth (somewhat like th in "this")]
dj (Swedish)=y
dz (Polish)=dz
f
g [Danish: kh (as in Scottish loch) at end of word. Dutch: kh as in Scottish loch. French: zh (s in pleasure) before e, i, y. German: k when the last letter of a syllable, except kh (like German ch) after i. Italian: j (as in jump) before e, i. Norwegian: y before i, y, ei; silent as ig at end of word. Portuguese: kh (as in Scottish loch) between vowels, or zh (s in pleasure) before e, i. Spanish: kh (as in Scottish loch) before e, i or between vowels. Swedish: y before stressed e, i, y, ä, ö]
gh (Italian)=g
gj (Norwegian)=y
gl (Italian)=ly
gn [French & Italian: ny]
h [French & Italian & Portuguese & Spanish: silent]
hj (Danish & Norwegian)=y
j=y [French: zh (s in pleasure). Portuguese: zh (s in pleasure). Spanish: kh as in Scottish loch]
k [Danish: g not at beginning of word. Norwegian: kh (like German ich or Scottish loch) before i, y, j. Swedish: kh (as in Scottish loch) before stressed e, i, y, ä, ö]
kj (Swedish)=kh (as in Scottish loch) but in the front of mouth
l
lh (Portuguese)=ly
ll [Spanish: ly in European Spanish, y in American Spanish]
m [Portuguese: nasalizes preceding vowel (like French bon), at end of syllable]
n [Portuguese: nasalizes preceding vowel (like French bon), in group of consonants or plural ending]
ñ (Spanish)=ny
ng (as in singer)
nh (Portuguese)=ny
nj (Dutch)=ny
p [Danish: b not at beginning of word]
pf (German)=f
q=k
qu=k [German & Swedish: kv]
r (Usually rolled (as in Scottish) to some extent, sometimes very briefly, sometimes in the front of the mouth, sometimes in the back, depending on the language) [Norwegian: silent before d, l, n, t]
rz (Polish)=zh (s in pleasure)
s=s [German: z before or between vowels, sh before p, t. Portuguese: s at beginning of word or after a consonant or when spelled ss, z between vowels, sh at end of word or before c, f, p, q, or t, zh (s as in pleasure) otherwise. Swedish: -sion ending is pronounced shoon]
sc [Italian: sh before e, i]
sch=sh [Dutch: s-kh (two sounds)]
sj (Danish & Dutch)=sh [Norwegian: sh before i, y, ø, øy]
sk [Norwegian: sh before i, y, ø, øy]
skj [Norwegian: sh before i, y, ø, øy. Swedish: sh]
ss=s
stj (Dutch & Swedish)=sh
sz (Polish)=sh
ß (German)=s
t [Danish: d not at beginning of word. Swedish: -tion ending pronounced shoon or choon]
th=t
tj [Dutch: ty. Swedish: kh as in Scottish loch]
tsch (German)=ch (as English ch)
tz (German)=ts
v [German: f]
w=v
x=ks [Portuguese: sh, z when spelled ex+vowel]
y (may be a vowel)
z [Danish: s. German: ts. Italian: ts (or ds). Portuguese: z at beginning of word or between vowels, sh at end of word or before c, f, p, q, s, or t, zh (s as in pleasure) otherwise. Spanish: th as in thin. Swedish: s]

In French, final consonants are usually not pronounced. In Finish, a consonant written twice is pronounced twice.

Vowels:

a=ah [Danish: sometimes a as in hat or eh. French: between ah and a as in hat. German: uh when short. Norwegian: uh or ah when short]
ä [Finish: a as in hat. German: ay or eh when short]
e=ay [Dutch: eh when short, uh in unstressed syllable. French: è, ê, e followed by most consonants=eh, as e in her at end of syllable. German: eh when short, uh at end of word. Norwegian: eh when short. Polish: eh]
i=ee [Dutch: ih when short. Finish: ih. German: ih when short]
o=o [Danish: ah. Dutch: ah when short. Finish: ah. French: generally ah. Norwegian: oo when long, ah when short. Polish: ah]
ö [Finish: u as in fur. German: u as in fur]
ô (French)=o
u=oo [Dutch: like French u. Finish: u as in pull. French: like ee with rounded lips (like German ü). Norwegian: like French u]
ü [German: like French u]
y [Danish: like French u. Finish: like French u. German: ü. Norwegian: like French u. Polish: ih]
æ [Danish: ay when long, eh when short (followed by two or more consonants). Norwegian: a as in bad when followed by r, ay otherwise]
å [Danish: ah. Norwegian: ah]
ø [Danish: like German ü. Norwegian: like u in fur]

short/long(may sound different (see above) or just be of different duration): Danish vowels are short if followed by two or more consonants. Dutch vowels are short if followed by two or more consonants. German vowels are long when followed by h or one (or no) consonant and short when followed by two or more consonants. Norwegian vowels are short if followed by two or more consonants.

stress: Spanish: vowel with accent over it is stressed; otherwise next to last syllable stressed.

French nasal sound (much like ang (as in rang), ahng (as in long)): French: an=ahng, en=ahng, ien=ang, in=ang, on=ahng, un=ang. Portuguese: m or n nasalizes preceding vowel (like French), in group of consonants or plural ending: im=eeng, in=eeng.

Diphthongs (two vowels together):

ai [French: ay; aient, ais, ait, aî=eh. German: long English i (as in night)]
au=ow [French: o]
ay French: ay. German: long English i (as in night)]
äu=oy
ei [French: eh. German: long English i (as in night)]
eu [Dutch: like u in fur. French: as u in French. German: oy]
ey=long English i (as in night)
ie=ee
ij [Dutch: long English i as in night, sometimes uh in unstressed syllables]
oe [Dutch: oo]
oi [French: wa with a as in hat]
ou [French: oo as in look]
ui [French: wee]

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