In writing, a short vowel is symbolized by a single vowel
letter in a closed syllable (i.e. a syllable ending with a consonant).
The singly written letter e in an unstressed open
syllable symbolizes short
[e] (the equivalent of the “indistinct” vowel schwa ([ə])
in related languages such as Dutch and German). It is the same symbol as
that for long /e/ in open syllables and that for short /e/ in open or closed
syllables. The distinction is that this pseudo-schwa occurs only in
unstressed syllables.
The
pronunciation guide below is easier to understand and remember if you bear
in mind a simple rule: “A short vowel is slightly lengthened before a
sonorant.” (Sonorant consonants are m, n, ng, l, and r.) Remembering this
rule, please bear in mind that only the length and nothing else about such a
vowel changes under those conditions. In other words, it does not become a
long vowel. (In the Low Saxon dialects of the Netherlands it tends to be
written as though it were truly long; e.g. laand instead of
land
[laˑnt] ‘land’, ‘country’ guided by the sound of long /a/ in Standard
Dutch.)
Note: In the
General Orthography (Algemeyne Schryvwys'), as in English, Danish
and Dutch orthography, only one letter is written for one consonant sound
closing a syllable (e.g. lip
‘lip’). As in Danish and Dutch orthography, this letter is written doubly
when this syllable comes to be followed by a vowel (e.g.
lippen ‘lips’). However, ng
and ch, which are single
consonant sounds represented by letter combinations, are never written
doubly. They are always regarded as closing a syllable, and, preceding them,
a singly written vowel letter always represents a short vowel (e.g.
sing! ‘sing!’, singen
‘to sing’, lach! ‘laugh!’,
lachen ‘to laugh’).
i
i
[ɪ]
as
in “in”
and “sit”
ik (ik)
‘I’ dit
(dit) ‘this’ Licht
(licht) ‘light’ Lipp
(lip) ‘lip’
sitt! (sit!)
‘sit!’
more central than the
above and r-colored in the combination -er, much like -er
in many English dialects of Australia, New Zealand, Southern England
and the Southeastern US; in some dialects like Danish -er
as above but a bit longer
before m, n, ng, l and r, the combination ar being pronounced
even longer:
[aː] (as in “car” and “park” pronounced in Australian English)
The
pronunciation guide below is easier to understand and remember if you bear
in mind a simple rule: “A short vowel is slightly lengthened before a
sonorant.” (Sonorant consonants are m, n, ng, l, and r.) Remembering this
rule, please bear in mind that only the length and nothing else about such a
vowel changes under those conditions. In other words, it does not become a
long vowel. (In the Low Saxon dialects of the Netherlands it tends to be
written as though it were truly long; e.g. laand instead of
land
[laˑnt] ‘land’, ‘country’ guided by the sound of long /a/ in Standard
Dutch.)