> Date:         Tue, 7 Nov 2000 13:23:20 +0100
> From:         Kristian Jensen <[log in to unmask]>

> You could also go all the way. In Danish, many occurences of syllable final
> [j] are surface forms of /g/ after front vowels. Similarly, many occurences
> of syllable-final [w] are surface forms of /g/ after back vowels. If you go
> back a few generations, these /g/'s were all /G/ in syllable-final position.
> Dialects even differ in pronounciations because of differing vowels, e.g.:
>
>      UNDERLYING   EASTERN   WESTERN   GLOSS
>      /dag/        [dEj]     [dAw]     "day"
>      /lag/        [lEj]     [lAw]     "layer"
>      /fag/        [fEj]     [fAw]     "subject, field, trade"

Unless you're a very conservative speaker from the northern suburbs of
Copenhagen, the second column is more like [d{?] and so on.

Interestingly, the words all take on the 'western' pronunciations (for
me at least) when they are the first part of a compound or derived
word: dagslys, daglig, lagdelt, fagbog, faglig --- but not when
inflected:

     <dagen>      [d{:n]        (depending on stress --- several
          or      [d{?n=]       (intermediate pronunciations too)
     <dagene>     [d{:n@]       (irregular)
     <laget>      [l{?ð=]
     <lagene>     [l{?n@]

Also note these traps for Western speakers learning Standard Danish:

     <hav>        [hAw]         (also nav)
     <havet>      [h{:?wð=]
     <lav>        [lAw]         (also rav)
     <lavet>      [lAwð=]
     <sav>        [s{:?w]
     <saven>      [s{:?wn=]

(All of these words have [Aw] throughout in Western dialects).

Lars Mathiesen (U of Copenhagen CS Dep) <[log in to unmask]> (Humour NOT marked)