Icelandic pronunciation
Emphasis
Every Icelandic word has its stress on the first syllable . Each vowel can be both long and short. This also applies to diphthongs . They are long when followed by a single consonant or when followed by a combination of p, t, k, s + r, j, v. Accordingly, the e in the proper name Esja [ 'ɛːsja ] is long. Unstressed syllables are always short to medium long, but never long.
Vowels
| a | long or short, like a in country | [ a ] | raka [ 'raːka ]; handa [ 'hanta ] |
| before gi or gj like æ | [ ai ] | lagi [ 'laiːjɪ ] | |
| before ng or nk like á | [ au ] | langur [ 'lauŋkʏr̥ ] | |
| á | long or short, like au in house | [ au ] | mál [ mauːl ] |
| ouch | long or short, similar to eui in French fauteuil | [ œy ] | auga [ 'œyːɣa ]; austur [ 'œystʏr̥ ] |
| e | long or short, like ä in mane | [ ɛ ] | nema [ 'nɛːma ]; sperra [ 'spɛrːa ] |
| before gi, gj, ng or nk like ei, ey | [ ɛi ] | þegja [ 'θɛiːja ]; lengur [ 'lεiŋkʏr̥ ] | |
| é | long or short as ever | [ jɛ ] | éta [ 'jɛːta ] |
| egg | long or short, like a in engl. ache | [ ɛi ] | home [ hɛiːm ] |
| ey | the same sound as ei | [ ɛi ] | neysla [ 'nɛistla ] |
| i | short how i in please | [ ɪ ] | minni [ 'mɪnːɪ ] |
| long, open i, similar to the ee in bed | [ ɪː ] | vita [ 'vɪːta ] | |
| before ng, nk, gi or gj like í | [ i ] | stinga [ 'stiŋka ] | |
| í | long or short, as in song | [ i ] | ís [ iːs ]; ískra [ 'iskra ] |
| O | long or short as o come in | [ ɔ ] | from [ vɔːn ]; worry [ sɔrk ] |
| before gi and gj, similar to the eu in bump | [ ɔi: ] | flogin [ 'flɔi: jɪn ] | |
| O | long or short, as in English home | [ ou ] | fjórir [ 'fjouːrɪr̥ ]; kólna [ 'kʰoulna ]; nógir [ 'nouːjɪr̥ ] |
| u | long or short, as ö in ovens or as ü in wish. The two different pronunciations may be due to regional factors; There is some disagreement among the scientists here. | [ ø ] or [ ʏ ] | kul [ kʰøːl ] or [ kʰʏːl ]; undan [ 'øntan ] or [ ' ʏntan ] |
| before ng or nk like ú | [ u ] | tunga [ 'tʰuŋka ] | |
| before gi or gj as [ ʏ ] + [ i ] | [ ʏiː ] | flightið [ 'flʏiːjɪð ] | |
| the first u of the ending -unum mostly like o | [ ɔ ] | augunum [ 'œyːɣɔnʏm ] | |
| ú | long or short as u in good | [ u ] | núna [ 'nuːna ]; lúðrar [ 'luðrar̥ ] |
| before gi or gj, like ú + [ iː ] | [ uiː ] | rúgi [ 'ruiːjɪ ] | |
| y | long or short, the same sound as i | [ ɪ ] | yfir [ 'ɪːvɪr̥ ] |
| ý | long or short, the same sound as í | [ i ] | rýrna [ 'rirdna ] |
| æ | long or short, how to be | [ ai ] | æfing [ 'aiːvɪŋk ]; hræsni [ 'r̥aistnɪ ] |
| ö | long or short, like ö in open | [ œ ] | oil [ oil ]; vöðvi [ 'vœðvɪ ] |
| before ng, nk, gi, gj, like isl. ouch | [ œy ] | löng [ lœyŋk ]; lögin [ 'lœyːjɪn ] |
Note that the long vowels [ ɛ: ], [ ɔ: ] and [ œ: ] are usually pronounced like [ eɛ ], [ oɔ ] and [ øœ ] in practice, but are rarely notated as diphthongs. More precisely would be vera [ 'veɛra ], koma [ kʰoɔma ], gömul [ køœmʏl ] etc.
Consonants
| b | unaspirated p | [ p ] | böl [ pœːl ] |
| d | unaspirated t | [ t ] | hundur [ 'hʏntʏr̥ ] |
| ð | voiced like th in engl. that | [ ð ] | verða [ 'vɛrða ] |
| optionally in the absolute final like þ (see there) | [ θ ] | það [ θaːθ ] or [ θaːð ] | |
| f | in the initial and before f, s, þ, and optionally in the absolute final like f | [ f ] | fló [ flouː ]; afþakka [ 'aːfθahka ] |
| internally before l or n, like b | [ p ] | nafni [ 'napnɪ ]; gaflar [ 'kaplar̥ ] | |
| in the internal and final, like v | [ v ] | af [ aːv ]; sofa [ 'sɔːva ] | |
| ff | before l and n, like f | [ f ] | gafflar [ 'kaflar̥ ] |
| G | Initially before e, i, í, y, ý, æ: palatal unaspirated k | [ c ] | geyser [ 'cɛiːsɪr̥ ]; gys [ cɪːs ] |
| Initially before a consonant or other vowels: unaspirated k | [ k ] | göng [ kœyŋk ]; green [ krʏnː ] | |
| between vowel and vowel (except i), r, ð, and in the final vowel: voiced ch (see Greek gamma) | [ ɣ ] | saga [ 'saːɣa ]; ögra [ 'œɣra ]; lög [ lœːɣ ] | |
| between vowel and i or j: like j | [ j ] | lagi [ 'laiːjɪ ]; segja [ 'sɛiːja ] | |
| before s or t: like ch in roof | [ x ] | hugsa [ 'hʏxsa ]; says [ saxt ] | |
| between vowel and l, n, as well as between f, g, l, r and vowel: like k | [ k ] | gninn [ 'cɛknɪnː ]; mörg [ mœrk ] | |
| gj | in the wording: palatal unaspirated k | [ c ] | gjá [ cauː ] |
| H | at first like h | [ h ] | hús [ huːs ] |
| in the combinations hl, hn, hr the h either remains silent and the following consonant becomes voiceless. | [ l̥ ]; [ N ] ; [ r̥ ] | hnífur [ n̥iːvʏr̥ ]; hreinn [ r̥ɛitn̥ ] | |
| hj | like me in me | [ ç ] | hjá [ çauː ] |
| hv | like kv | [ kʰv ] | hver [ kʰvɛːr̥ ] |
| j | like j | [ j ] | eyja [ ɛiːja ]; jú [ juː ] |
| k | in the wording before e, i, í, y, ý, æ: palatal aspirated k | [ cʰ ] | kær [ cʰaiːr̥ ]; kenna [ 'cʰɛnːa ] |
| in the wording before other vowels or consonants: aspirated k | [ kʰ ] | krakki [ 'kʰrahcɪ ]; köttur [ 'kʰœhtʏr̥ ] | |
| inside the word before e, i, í, y, ý, æ: palatales k | [ c ] | skæri [ 'scaiːrɪ ]; banki [ 'pauɲ̥cɪ ] | |
| otherwise inside the word: unaspirated k | [ k ] | vakur [ 'vaːkʏr̥ ]; öskra [ 'œskra ] | |
| is in front of k, l, n of the sound präaspiriert (d. e. a clearly audible [ h ] is spoken of k) | [ hk ] | þakka [ 'θahka ]; ekki [ 'ɛhcɪ ]; sakna [ 'sahkna ]; þökk [ θœhk ] | |
| before s or t: like ch in roof | [ x ] | sjúkt [ sjuxt ] | |
| kj | Initially: palatal aspirated k | [ cʰ ] | kjöt [ cʰœːt ] |
| on the inside: palatal unaspirated k | [ c ] | þekkja [ 'θɛhca ] | |
| l | general: like l | [ l ] | líf [ liːv ]; tala [ 'tʰaːla ] |
| before p, t, k, as well as after voiceless consonants at the end of the word: voiceless l | [ l̥ ] | stelpa [ 'stɛl̥pa ]; rusl [ rʏstl̥ ] | |
| optionally after the vowel in the absolute final sound: voiceless l | [ l̥ ] | nál [ nauːl̥ ] or [ nauːl ] | |
| ll | Lateral explosive sound, similar to dl, voiceless at the end of the word | [ tl ]; [ tl̥ ] | galli [ 'gatlɪ ] ( = error ); sæll [ saitl̥ ] |
| ll | in foreign words and proper names often: long l | [ lː ] | galli [ 'galːɪ ] ( = outfit ); Calli [ 'kʰalːɪ ] |
| m | general: like m | [ m ] | miði [ 'mɪːðɪ ]; lambi [ 'lampɪ ] |
| before p, t, k: voiceless m | [ m̥ ] | lampi [ 'lam̥p ] | |
| n | general: like n | [ n ] | níu [ 'niːʏ ]; njóta [ 'njouːta ] |
| before t, as well as after voiceless consonants at the end of the word: voiceless n | [ n̥ ] | vanta [ 'van̥ta ]; vatn [ vahtn̥ ]; þögn [ θœkn̥ ] | |
| nn | after á, í, ó, ú, ý, æ, ei, ey, au: nasal explosive sound, similar to dn, voiceless at the end of the word | [ tn ]; [ tn̥ ] | seinna [ 'sɛitna ]; Spánn [ spautn̥ ] |
| in the definite article: how long n | [ nː ] | maðurinn [ 'maːðʏrɪnː ]; brúnni [ 'brunːɪ ] | |
| ng | like ng in sing + voiceless g | [ ŋk ] | söngur [ 'sœyŋkʏr̥ ]; þing [ θiŋk ] |
| before l and s: like ng in singing | [ ŋ ] | ungs [ uŋs ] | |
| before t: voiceless [ ŋ ] | [ ŋ̥ ] | þungt [ θuŋ̥t ] | |
| before i and j: palatal [ ŋ ] + k palatal | [ ɲc ] | lengi [ 'lεiɲcɪ ]; syngja [ 'siɲca ] | |
| nk | medially and final position: voiceless [ ŋ ] + k | [ ŋ̥k ] | tankur [ 'tʰauŋ̥kʏr̥ ] |
| j before and i: unvoiced palatal [ ŋ ] + k palatal | [ ɲ̥c ] | banki [ 'pauɲ̥cɪ ] | |
| p | Initially: aspirated p | [ pʰ ] | páfi [ 'pʰauːvɪ ] |
| in the initial and final general: unaspirated p | [ p ] | tapa [ 'tʰaːpa ]; lepja [ 'lɛːpja ] | |
| before l, m, n, p: pre-aspirated | [ hp ] | tappi [ 'tʰahpɪ ]; happ [ hahp ]; kaupmaður [ 'kʰœyhpmaðʏr̥ ] | |
| before t: like f | [ f ] | september [ 'sɛftɛmpɛr̥ ] | |
| r | general: tongue r | [ r ] | íþrótt [ 'iːθrouht ]; rós [ rouːs ] |
| before p, t, k, s, f, and optionally in the absolute final sound: voiceless r | [ r̥ ] | kort [ kʰɔr̥t ]; mars [ mar̥s ]; dagur [ 'taːɣʏr̥ ] or [ ' taːɣʏr ] | |
| rl | wie rdl (coll. often like dl) | [ rtl ]; [ rtl̥ ] | kerling [ 'cʰɛrtliŋk ] |
| rn | wie rdn (coll. often like dn) | [ rtn ]; [ rtn̥ ] | barn [ partn̥ ] |
| s | always voiceless, slight tendency to sch | [ s ~ s̺ ] | saga [ 'saːɣa ]; sjö [ sjœː ] |
| sl | like sdl (see ll) or like sl | [ stl ] or [ sl ] | Ísland [ 'iːstlant ] or [ ' iːslant ] |
| sm | like sbm or like sm | [ spm ] or [ sm ] | smári [ 'spmauːrɪ ] or [ ' smauːrɪ ] |
| sn | like sdn (cf.nn) or like sn | [ stn ] or [ sn ] | snigill [ 'stniːjɪtl̥ ] or [ ' sniːjɪtl̥ ] |
| t | Initially: aspirated t | [ tʰ ] | tvær [ tʰvaiːr̥ ] |
| in the initial and final general: unaspirated t | [ t ] | matur [ 'maːtʏr̥ ]; standa [ 'stanta ]; vetrar [ vɛːtrar̥ ] | |
| before l, n, t: pre-aspirated | [ ht ] | drottning [ 'trɔhtniŋk ]; vatn [ vahtn̥ ]; stutt [ stʏht ] | |
| v | like German w | [ v ] | Verk [ vɛr̥k ] |
| x | like ch in roof + s | [ xs ] | vöxtur [ 'vœxstʏr̥ ]; kex [ cʰɛxs ] |
| z | out of date, today s written | [ s ] | * íslenzka = íslenska [ 'istlɛnska ] |
| þ | voiceless th, as in engl. think | [ θ ] | þurr [ θʏrː ]; þriðji [ 'θrɪðjɪ ] |
Note: The plosives [ p ] , [ t ] , [ k ] and [ c ] are always unvoiced and differ only in the preceding aspiration and in the voicing Nasal consonants (see lambi vs lampi ). In their non-aspirated versions, they are also often rendered in phonetic transcription as [ b̥ ], [ d̥ ], [ g̥ ] and [ ɟ̥ ].
Special features in pronunciation
| Cons. | in the combinations | pronunciation | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| í, ý, ey, æ + i | [ j ] | flýið [ 'fliːjɪð ]; sæi [ 'saiːjɪ ] | |
| ð | rðn, ðs | [] | orðnir [ 'ɔrtnɪr̥ ]; bragðs [ praxs ]; stóðst [ stoust ] |
| b, d, g | m, n + b, d, g + d, g, l, s, t | [] | kambs [ kʰams ]; lands [ lans ]; lengst [ lεiŋst ]; syngdu [ 'siŋtʏ ] |
| d, g | l, r + b, d, g + d, ð, n, s, t | [] | sjaldgæf [ 'sjalcaiːv ]; harbors [ pɪr̥tʰ ]; morgni [ 'mɔrtnɪ ] |
| f | l, r + f + d, ð, l, n, r, s, t | [] | half [ haul̥tʰ ]; hverfðu [ kʰvεrðʏ ] |
| gl | gl + d, ð | [ l ] o. [ ɫ ] | sigldi [ 'sɪltɪ ] or [ ' sɪɫtɪ ] |
| k | l, n, r, s + k + t | [] | heimskt [ hεimstʰ ]; puncture [ 'pʰuŋ̥tʏr̥ ] |
| n | f, g, k, r, t + n + s | [] | magns [ maxs ] |
| lg | lg + d, ð, n, s | [ l ] | svelgdi [ 'svεltɪ ] |
| lg + t | [ l ] | fylgt [ fɪl̥tʰ ] | |
| fl | fl + d, s, t | [] o. [ vl ], [ vl̥ ] o. [ lv ], [ lf ] | AFL [ a ] or [ AVLS ] or [ alfs ]; teflt [ tʰεl̥tʰ ] or [ tʰεvl̥tʰ ] or [ tʰεlftʰ ] |
| fn | fn + d, s, t | [ m ] , [ M ] | nefnd [ nεmt ]; nefnt [ nεm˳tʰ ] |
| gn | gn + d, s, t | [ ŋ ] , [ n ] | rignt [ rɪŋ̥tʰ ] |
| rn | rn + d, t | [ n ] , [ N ] | far [ fεn̥tʰ ] |
| rn + s | [ r̥s ], [ sː ] | barns [ bar̥s ] or [ basː ], Björnsson [ 'pjœr̥sɔn ] or [ ' pjœsːɔn ] | |
| tn | tn + s | [ hts ] or [ sː ] | vatns [ vahts ] or [ vasː ] |
| ll | ll + d, s | [ l ] | all [ as ] |
| ll + t | [ l̥ ] | spilltu [ 'spɪl̥tʏ ] |
Remarks
Each consonant is pronounced long when written twice (fyrrum [ 'fɪrːøm ]). Exceptions are p, t, k, they are pre-aspirated as mentioned. If another consonant follows a double consonant, the double consonant appears as a single one (allt [ al̥tʰ ]). The combination hé is always treated like hje (hérna [ 'çɛrtna ]). The word guð (in all combinations) has an irregular pronunciation: Guð [ kvʏːð ]; Guðmundur [ 'kvʏːðmʏntʏr̥ ]. Furthermore, the i in all forms of the word illur as [ i ] instead of [ ɪ ] pronounced, thus: illur [ 'itlʏr̥ ]; illa [ 'itla ].
Also irregular:
mega [ 'mεiːɣa ] (because of megið [ ' mεiːjɪð ])
spegla [ 'spεikla ] (because of spegill [ ' spεiːjɪtl̥ ])
fegnir [ 'fεiknɪr̥ ] (because of feginn [ ' fεiːjɪnː ])
Pronunciation variants
There are several pronunciation variants in Icelandic, comparable to dialects . With the exception of Norðlenska, however, these are steadily falling.
Norðlenska
In the northern Icelandic variant, the plosives are also aspirated inside the word. This happens after long vowels as well as after ð, l, m and n, which in turn retain their voicing. Examples:
Skaftfellska
In the areas around Skaftafell there is no diphthongization before / gi /:
The d-insert is also omitted for / rl / and / rn /:
A distinction is also made between / hv / and / kv /:
Vestfirska
For the dialects of the Westfjords, the monophthongization before / ng / and / nk / is characteristic, especially of / a / and / ö /:
Flámæli
For some time, a very dominant phenomenon that was difficult to narrow down geographically is the flámæli. Here were the long vowels / i / and / e / to [ ɛ ] , and / u / and / o / to [ œ ] together.
Since this pronunciation caused difficulties in understanding due to the increased number of words that sounded the same, it was "trained off" by the Icelanders in the 1950s and 60s through various campaigns and is now practically extinct.