Thank you Julia Lenardon for help with the phonetic symbols.
Also thank you Katalin Tihanyi for pointing me to John Wells' International Phonetic Alphabet in Unicode webpage.
Still, phonetic characters may not display correctly on all computers.

Standard Dutch Accent

Another Words List

Point of Tension: Front of lips slightly forward and form an oval (rather than round) shape.

Resonance: The slight forward posture of the lips creates enough space in the oral cavity and the pharynx which establishes a good balance of the resonance, though more oral than pharyngeal resonance (not unlike American oral resonance.)

Rhythm and Tempo: The overall rhythm is slightly staccato (probably a result of the devoicing of many consonants), with a rhythmically rising and falling pattern that is moderately paced tempo.

Pitch Range and Lilt (Tune): The pitch range is approximately the same as General American (6-8 pitches). There is also a perceptible rhythmic upward lilt (not unlike what is found in a Swedish accent) that resolves in a downward inflection at the end of a declarative sentence.

Stress Pattern: The Dutch will raise the pitch slightly on the stressed syllable within the word, and will also raise the pitch on the entire word if that word is to receive stress in the sentence or utterance.

Pronunciation: The Dutch when speaking English usually use the British [ɑ - æ] Split for the 'Ask' List Words (i.e., they mostly use the [ɑ] as in 'father' for the [æ] as in 'cat' for the words on this list.) The same British usage is true for the use of the softened 'you' sound as in 'Duke'.

Key: Major Key

Key Phrase

Vowel Changes

1. [æ] --- [ɛ]
   The [æ] as in 'cat' is raised to the [ɛ] as in 'get.'

   family, cat, ask, answer, fact, baggage, happy, Sam 2 3

   1a. Sam was happy when he asked his family to answer the man.
   1b. The erratic band manager was frantic and angered at the pamphlet that attacked the amateur standing of the talented young actress.

2. [ɒ] --- [ɔ]
   The [ɒ] sound as in 'doll' becomes the [ɔ] as in 'ought', without the vowel elongation. It has a smaller and very round lip opening, about the size of your thumb. Words that contain this sound are usually spelled 'o' (e.g., 'doll, lot, God') and those word that begin 'wa--' ('wand, watch, want, wander'). Additionally, all words that normally use the vowel sound [ɔ] retain their strong identity and are those words that are spelled 'al', 'au', 'ou', 'aw', and 'or' (e.g., 'all, caught, bought, law, for')

   lot, God, doll, column, monster, watch, want, what, wand, wander
   all, taught, walk, thought, mortal, fault, ought, law, Paul, or, forgot

   2a. Paul forgot he taught his adorable daughter to walk and talk. 2
   2b. Lots of monsters want and watch or walk as they stalk their prey.

3. [ʊ] --- [u]
   The [ʊ] sound as in 'book' is raised to the [u] sound as in 'toot'.

   put, look, took, full, could, hook, stood, would, good, should, bush 2

   3. The good-looking cook took a good look at the butcher with the crooked foot, who stood near the wooden pulpit, his hand on the Good Book, his face full of sugary looks.

4. [ʌ] --- [ʊ]
   The [ʌ] sound as in 'cup' is raised to the [ʊ] sound as in 'book'.

   once, tough, judge, much, cup, enough, hungry, dozen, young, country, blood 2

   4. Once nothing but hungry destruction succeeded, the blood of dozens of other countries was the unutterable by-product.

5. [u:] --- [ju]
   The [u:] sound as in 'moon' is softened and rendered as the word 'you'. These words will be spelled '-u, -ui, -ue, and -ew' (e.g., 'June, suit, due, neutral, few' 2 3)

   June, students, Tuesday, lieu, crew, nuisance 2

   5. The new duke arrived on Tuesday from Europe to view the assured troops.

6. [æ] --- [ɑ]
   The [æ] as in 'ask' is frequently pronounce like the [ɑ] as in 'father' (usually if the [æ] is followed by 'f', 's', 'th' as in 'them' or 'thin', or an 'm' or an 'n' + another consonant):

   raft, path, lather, brass, example, demand 2

   exceptions: Taft, maths, gather, mass, ample, stand 2

   6. I can't understand why Auntie is afraid of the ants on the path, can you?

Consonant Changes

I. Devoicing in ALL Positions: Initial, Medial and Final

1. [v] --- [f]
   The [v] as in 'venom' is devoiced in all positions in the word and becomes an [f] as in 'fun'

   verve, very, victory, caveman, lovelorn, lively, improve, connive, tentative, positive 2

   1a. The very victorious caveman was tentative yet positive as he drove toward the grave.
   1b. Lovely wives are very lively and resolve to love, not tentatively but positively.

2. [θ] --- [s]
   The [θ] as in 'thin' is devoiced in all postition in the word and becomes an [s] as in 'Sam'.

   think, three, thistle, thread, breathless, birthday, faithful, teeth, booth, myth, wreath 2

   2a. You have been ruthless, unfaithful, and uncouth, so spare me your breathless, mythful truths.
   2b. The width, length, and breadth of the earth would take thwarted months and months to thread.

3. [ʤ] --- [tʃ]
   The [ʤ] as in 'abridgement' and 'rage' in all positions becomes a [tʃ] as in 'chip.'

   judgement, engagement, averaged, abridgement, bulged, George, rage, edge, image 2

   3. George urged the judge to acknowledge his pledge to discourage the young man's dangerous engagement. 2

One Variant:

4. A. [ð] --- [s]
   The [ð] as in 'seething' and 'breathe' is devoiced in the medial and the final positions in the word and becomes an [s] as in 'sun'.

   withdraw, withstand, loathsome, wreather, bathe, unsheath, smooth 2

   4a. I cannot breathe smoothly; I need to bathe, and soothe my wounds, and withstand the pain.

   B. [ð] --- [d]
   The [ð] as in 'there' in the initial position in the word becomes a [d] as in 'Dad'.

   there, then, thy, that, thee, the, this, thou, they, them 2

   4b. There can be no mistake that they thought thee and thou would be there.

II. Devoicing in the Medial and Final Positions ONLY:

5. [d] --- [t]
   The [d] as in 'woodman' and 'stockade' in the medial and final position becomes a [t] as in 'Tom'. There is very little aspiration on the [t].

   advertised, handmade, adverse, sandpiper, blended, identified, unsound, woodman 2

   5a. Afraid, cold, and fatigued, we waded in the dark.
   5b. The woodman admitted that he needed more hand-made wood windwipers.

6. [b] --- [p]
   The [b] as in 'grabbing' and 'job' in the medial and final position becomes a [p] as in 'Paul'. There is very little aspiration on the [p].

   imbibe, abdomen, hubbub, suburb, probably, subject, hobnob, grab, stab 2

   6a. Babbling like a baby, Bobby grabbed at my watch fob and sobbed.
   6b. His abdomen probably bubbled up with stabbing pains because he had imbibed too much.

   Marco note: in Dutch, the B in final position is pronounced as P, and those B's remain P's in compound words - but when followed by a vowel, B's are generally pronounced as B's, and I think a Dutchman pronounces them like that in English too.
   Dutch: slab slap slabben slappe - lip lippen rib ribben
   grabbing, gripping 2

7. [g] --- [k]
   The [g] as in 'augment' and 'fog' in the medial and final positions becomes a [k] as in 'King'. There is very little aspiration on the [k].

   suggest, straggler, quagmire, zigzag, recognized, pigment, dig, beg, fog, league, intrigue 2

   7. The indignant witness was totally ignorant of the quagmired intrigue and struggled gallantly to be even vaguely cognizant of the pregnant circumstances.

8. [z] --- [s]
   The [z] as in 'wisdom' and 'these' in the medial and final position becomes an [s] as in 'Sun'.

   abused, amazed, wisdom, daze, was, hers, ours, theirs, those, breeze, Joe's 2

   8. Bees plus fleas, in twos and threes, gazed at the heavens as they buzzed their way through the leaves and trees. ('tress' 2 3 4)

9. [ʒ] --- [ʃ]
   The [ʒ] as in 'measure' and 'collage' in the medial and final positions becomes an [ʃ] as in 'ship'.

   massaged, Taj Mahal, garaged, beige, collage, rouge, badinage, mirage 2

   9. The beige Taj Mahal garage housed an entourage, a montage of antique rouge cars. 2

10. Intervocalic [t] --- [d]
    A [t] between two vowel sounds becomes a 'd' [d]

    city, duty, butter, phonetic, pity, absolutely 2

    10. It was absolutely a pity that he had to go to the city in such bitter weather. 2

11. [hju] and [hw] --- [h] is dropped
    In 'hu-' and 'wh-' words, the 'h' sound is dropped (with the exception of 'who, whom, whole, whore' where the 'w' sound is dropped instead).
    * The 'w' becomes a 'v' - see #12 below

    *where, *when, *why, *what, *whether, *which, hue, human, Hugh 2 3
    who, whom, whole, whore 2

    11. Whether as we humans will ever learn where, when and why the accident occurred - or what caused it - is a question which Hugh may never be able to answer. 2 3

12. [w] --- [v]
    The [w] is not unlike an English 'v' sound, and is made starting with upper teeth resting lightly on lower lip.

    wind, away, wormwood, when, why, wander, which, witch, would, want 2

    12. Which witch would you want to see and why would you want to wander with her? 2

13. [l] --- [ɫ]
    The Dutch accent uses the 'dark l' [ɫ] . The back of the tongue is raised as the tip of the tongue touches the back of the upper front teeth.

    heel, hill, hail, hell, Hal, doll, Paul, pole, pull, pool 2

    13a. Hal and climb the hill and cry like hell because of his sore heel. 2
    13b. Paul gave the doll to Molly to put on the pole but she threw it in the pool and couldn't pull it out. 2

14. [r], [ɝ], [ɚ] --- [ʁ]
    The Dutch use a 'harder retroflexed r' sound [ʁ] that requires the tongue to be slightly pulled back in the mouth. It is the same 'r' sound heard in the Midwest US.

    right, Robert, rich, reread, rarefy, library, hurry, wider, bird, firm, word, absurd 2

    14. In February, various absurd characteristically bureaucratic representatives discussed the wider and irritable matter of early bird catching the worm. 2 3

Words to be Changed

staff, giraffe, laugh, laughter, draught, raft, craft, graft, daft, shaft, aft, haft, draft, after, rafter, Shaftesbury, calf, half, chaff, graph

path, lath, lather, rather

brass, class, glass, pass, clasp, grasp, rasp, gasp

blast, cast, fast, mast, aghast, last, past, contrast, vast, avast, ask, bask, mask, flask, cask, task, alas, hasp, Basque, masque, drastic, elastic, gymnastic

master, plaster, disaster, castor, pastor, nasty, disastrous, disaster, ghastly, castle

brass, class, glass, pass, clasp, grasp, rasp, gasp, blast, cast, fast, mast, aghast, last, past, contrast, vast, avast, ask, bask, mask, flask, cask, task, alas, hasp, Basque, masque drastic, elastic, gymnastic, master, plaster, disaster, castor, pastor, nasty, disastrous, disaster, gastly, castle, basket, casket, rascal, fasten, raspberry, pasty, enthusiastic, bastard, paschal, pastoral, masculine, masquerade, exasperate, blasphemy, masticate, Glasgow

dance, advance, chance, France, lance, glance, enhance, prance, trance, entrance (v.), grant, slant, aunt, chant, plant, advantage, vantage, chantry, supplant, enchant, branch, blanch, ranch, stanch, stanchion, chancel, chancellor, Frances, Francis, lancet, answer, demand, command, remand, slander, chandler, commando, Alexander, Sandra, Flanders, shan't, can't, stance, askance, circumstantial, intransigent, substantial, Iran, Sudan, banana, transit, transport, transfer, transform, transitory, transient, transept

example, sample

email - Copyright © Kathryn Maes / Marco Schuffelen 2010. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed, or hotlinked to.
Don't be a dief (thief) / dievegge (female thief) - diefstal (theft) - stelen (to steal) - heler (dealer in stolen goods) - hear Dutch - 2