| Consonants
|
| Consonants |
Initial |
Final |
Intervocalic
|
| B
|
[p]
|
[p]
|
[p]⁵
|
| C
|
[k]¹, [s]²
|
-
|
[k]¹, [s]²
|
| CH
|
[ʃ]
|
[x]³, [ç]⁴, [k]⁵
|
[x]³, [ç]⁴
|
| CK
|
-
|
[k]
|
[k̬]
|
| D
|
[t]
|
[t]
|
[ɾ]~[t̬]
|
| F
|
[f]
|
[f]
|
[f̬]
|
| G
|
[k]
|
[k]
|
[k]⁶
|
| GH
|
-
|
[x]³, [ç]⁴, [k]⁵
|
[x]³, [ç]⁴
|
| H
|
[h]
|
[ː]
|
[ː]
|
| J
|
[j]
|
-
|
[j], [ʃ]⁶
|
| K
|
[kʰ], [k]⁷
|
[k]
|
[k̬]
|
| L
|
[l]
|
[l]
|
[l]
|
| M
|
[m]
|
[m]
|
[m]
|
| N
|
[n]
|
[n], [ŋ]⁸
|
[n]
|
| NG
|
-
|
[ŋ]
|
[ŋ]
|
| P
|
[pʰ], [p]⁷
|
[p]
|
[p]
|
| QU
|
[kʷ]~[kv]
|
-
|
[kʷ]~[kv]
|
| S
|
[s], [ʃ]⁷
|
[s]
|
[s̬]
|
| SCH
|
[ʃ]
|
[ʃ]
|
[ʃ]
|
| SK
|
[ʃk]~[sk]
|
[ʃk]~[sk]
|
[ʃk]~[sk]
|
| SP
|
[ʃp]
|
[ʃp]
|
[ʃp]
|
| ST
|
[ʃt]
|
[ʃt]~[st]
|
[ʃt]~[st]
|
| T
|
[tʰ], [t]⁷
|
[t]
|
[t̬]
|
| TZ
|
-
|
[͡ts]
|
[͡t̬s̬]
|
| V
|
[v]
|
[f]
|
[v]
|
| W
|
[v]
|
-
|
[v]
|
| X
|
-
|
[ks]
|
[k̬s̬]
|
| Z
|
[͡ts]
|
[͡ts]
|
[͡t̬s̬]
|
|
ª Even if it is preceded by a prefix. For example, a D is initial in both diene and ferdiene.
¹ Before consonants, A, O, U
² Before E, I
³ After A, O, U
⁴ After E, I
⁵ Before S in a few words
⁶ In some terms recently borrowed from Portuguese
⁷ When followed by another consonant
⁸ Before G or K
|
| Letter R
|
| Case |
IPA
|
| Initialª and Intervocalic
|
[ɾ]
|
| Before coronals
(D, L, N, R, S, SCH, SP, ST, T, TZ, Z)
|
mute
|
| Before other consonants
|
[ɾ]
|
| Final after E or O tonics
|
[ɐ]
|
| Final after A tonic
|
mute
|
| Final after unstressed E
|
[ɐ]
|
| Vowels
|
| Vowels |
Final or before single consonantª |
Before double consonant⁵ |
Before E unstressed |
Added to Final R |
Added to R before consonant
|
| A
|
[aː]
|
[a]
|
-
|
[aːr]
|
[a]², [ar]³
|
| AA
|
[ɔː]~[aː]
|
[ɔː]~[aː]
|
[ɔː]~[aː]
|
[ɔː]~[aː]
|
[ɔː]~[aː]², [ɔːr]~[aːr]³
|
| Ä
|
[ɛː]
|
[ɛ]
|
[ɛɪ̯]~[ɛː]
|
[ɛː]~[ɛɐ]
|
[ɛ]~[ɛɐ]², [ɛr]³
|
| ÄÄ
|
[ɛː]
|
[ɛː]
|
[ɛɪ̯]~[ɛː]
|
[ɛː]~[ɛɐ]
|
[ɛː]~[ɛːɐ]², [ɛːr]³
|
| AI
|
[aɪ̯]
|
[aɪ̯]
|
[aɪ̯]
|
-
|
-
|
| AU
|
[aʊ̯]
|
[aʊ̯]
|
[aʊ̯]
|
-
|
-
|
| E
|
[eː], [ə]¹
|
[eː], [ə]¹
|
[eɪ̯]~[eː]
|
[ɛɪ̯ɐ]~[ɛɐ], [ɐ]¹
|
[ɛ]~[ɛɐ]², [ɛr]³, [ɐ]¹
|
| Ë⁴
|
[e]
|
[e]
|
[e]
|
[er]
|
[er]
|
| EE
|
[eː]
|
[eː]
|
[eɪ̯]~[eː]
|
[eja]~[eːɐ]
|
[eja]~[eːɐ]
|
| ËE⁴
|
[eːə]
|
[eːə]
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
| EI
|
[aɪ̯]
|
[aɪ̯]
|
[aɪ̯]
|
-
|
-
|
| EU
|
[ɔɪ̯]
|
[ɔɪ̯]
|
[ɔɪ̯]
|
-
|
-
|
| ËU⁴
|
[eʊ̯]
|
[eʊ̯]
|
[eʊ̯]
|
-
|
-
|
| I
|
[iː]
|
[i]
|
[iː]
|
-
|
[ir]
|
| IE
|
[iː]
|
[iː]
|
[iː]
|
[iːɐ]
|
[iːɐ]
|
| ÏE⁴
|
[iːə]
|
[iːə]
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
| O
|
[oː]
|
[o]
|
[oʊ̯]~[oː]
|
[ɔʊ̯ɐ]~[ɔɐ]
|
[ɔ]~[ɔɐ]², [ɔr]³
|
| OO
|
[oː]
|
[o]
|
[oʊ̯]~[oː]
|
-
|
-
|
| U
|
[u]
|
[uː]
|
[uː]
|
[uːr]
|
[ur]
|
| UU
|
[uː]
|
[uː]
|
[uː]
|
-
|
-
|
|
NOTE: any sequence Vowel+H corresponds phonetically to that vowel written twice. E.g.: EH = EE
ª simple consonant corresponds to any single consonant in writing and to the sequence GH (=CH "simple")
¹ when unstressed
² before a coronal consonant (D,L,N,R,S,SCH,T,Z)
³ before other consonants
⁴ the umlaut over the letters E and I only has the function of indicating the pronunciation more precisely and can be ignored. Ë is used to indicate
that an unstressed E should be pronounced as /e/ and not as /ə/, as well as breaking digraphs, indicating that the two letters should be pronounced separately.
pronounced separately. Ï is only used before an E, making it clear that in this case the two vowels should be
pronounced separately and not as an /iː/.
⁵ double consonant corresponds to any combination of more than one consonant in writing and to the consonant W (=V "double")
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