Luxembourgish phonology

This article aims to describe the phonology and phonetics of central Luxembourgish, which is regarded as the emerging standard.^[1]

Consonants

The consonant inventory of Luxembourgish is quite similar to that of Standard German.^[1]

• /m, p, b/ are bilabial, /p͡f/ is bilabial-labiodental, whereas /f, v/ are labiodental.^[1][2]
  • /p͡f/ occurs only in loanwords from Standard German.^[3] Just as among many native German-speakers, it tends to be simplified to [f] word-initially. For example, Pflicht ('obligation') is pronounced [fliɕt], or in careful speech [p͡fliɕt].
  • /v/ is realized as [w] when it occurs after /k, t͡s, ʃ/, e.g. zwee [t͡sweː] ('two').^[4]
• /p, t, k/ are voiceless fortis [p, t, k]. They are aspirated [pʰ, tʰ, kʰ] in most positions,^[5] but not when /s/ precedes in the same syllable, or when another plosive or affricate follows.
  • Resyllabified fortis stops are subject to voicing if followed by a vowel, e.g. eng interessant Iddi [eŋ intʀæˈsɑnd‿ˈidi] ('an interesting idea').^[3]
• /b, d, ɡ/ are unaspirated lenis, more often voiceless [b̥˭, d̥˭, ɡ̊˭] than voiced [b˭, d˭, ɡ˭].^[5]
• /d͡z/ appears only in a few words, such as spadséieren /ʃpɑˈd͡zɜɪ̯əʀən/ ('to go for a walk').^[3]
• /d͡ʒ/ occurs only in loanwords from English.^[3]
• /ŋ, k, ɡ/ are velar, /ʀ/ is uvular, whereas /j/ is palatal.^[1][2]
  • The normal realization of /ʀ/ is more often a trill [ʀ] than a fricative [ʁ]. The fricative variant is used after short vowels before consonants. If the consonant is voiceless, the fricative is also voiceless, i.e. [χ]. Older speakers use the consonantal variant [ʀ ~ ʁ] also in the word-final position, where younger speakers tend to vocalize the /ʀ/ to a central vowel [ə] or [ɐ].^[5]
  • /j/ is frequently realized as [ʒ], e.g. Juni [ˈjuːniː] or [ˈʒuːniː] ('June').^[4]
• /χ, ʁ/ have two types of allophones: alveolo-palatal [ɕ, ʑ] and velar/uvular [χ, ʁ]. The latter occur before back vowels, whereas the former occur in all other positions.^[5]
  • The [ʑ] allophone appears only in a few words. Note that an increasing number of speakers do not distinguish between the alveolo-palatal allophones of /χ, ʁ/ and the postalveolar phonemes /ʃ, ʒ/.^[6]
  • There is not a complete agreement about the nature of the posterior allophones of /χ, ʁ/; Gilles & Trouvain (2013) describe them as uvular [χ, ʁ], whereas Trouvain & Gilles (2009) describe them as velar [x, ɣ].^[2]
• /l/ is always clear [l].

In external sandhi, syllable-final /n/ is deleted unless followed by [n t d t͡s h], with few exceptions. Furthermore, some unusual consonant clusters may arise post-lexically after cliticisation of the definite article d' (for feminine, neuter and plural forms), e.g. d'Land [dlɑnt] ('the country') or d'Kräiz [tkʀæːɪ̯t͡s] ('the cross').^[3]

Word-final obstruents

Phonetically, word-final /b, d, dʒ, ɡ, v, z, ʒ, ʁ/ are realized exactly the same as /p, t, tʃ, k, f, s, ʃ, χ/. In most cases, they are realized the same as the main allophones of /p, t, tʃ, k, f, s, ʃ, χ/ (i.e. voiceless), but when the next word begins with a vowel and is pronounced without a pause, they are realized the same as the main allophones of /b, d, dʒ, ɡ, v, z, ʒ, ʁ/, i.e. voiced and are resyllabified, i.e. moved to the onset of the first syllable of the next word (the same happens with the non-native affricate /pf/, which is also voiced to [bv]). For instance, sech eens is pronounced [zəˈʑeːns],^[7] although this article transcribes it [zəʑ‿ˈeːns] for simplicity.

Pronunciation of the letter g

In Luxembourgish, the letter g has no fewer than nine possible pronunciations, depending both on the origin of a word and the phonetic environment of g. By the now very common mergers of [ʒ] and [ʑ], as well as [ʃ] and [ɕ], this number may be reduced to seven, however. The pronunciation [j] is also (generally) not obligatory but a common allophone of [ʑ] in the environment indicated below.

IPA	Applies in	Phonetic environment	Example	IPA	Meaning
ɡ	native and German words	stem-initially	géi	[ɡɜɪ̯]	go
ɡ	few German words	stem-internally	Drogen	[ˈdʀoːɡən]	drugs
ɡ	French words	stem-initially and internally before written a, o, u, or consonant	Negatioun	[neɡɑˈsjəʊ̯n]	negation
k	French and few German words	word-finally	Drog	[dʀoːk]	drug
ʃ	French words	word-finally before mute e	Plage	[plaːʃ]	beach
ʒ	French words	stem-initially and internally before written e or i	originell	[oʀiʒiˈnæl]	original
ɕ	native and most German words	word-finally after consonants and non-back vowels except [aː]	bëlleg	[ˈbələɕ]	cheap
ʑ	native and most German words	stem-internally after consonants and non-back vowels except [aː]	Verfügung	[fɐˈfyːʑuŋ]	disposal
χ	native and most German words	word-finally after back vowels and [aː]	Dag	[daːχ]	day
ʁ	native and most German words	stem-internally after back vowels and [aː]	Lager	[ˈlaːʁɐ]	store
j	native and most German words	in the unstressed sequences [əjə] and [əjɐ]	bëllegen	[ˈbələjən]	cheap [inflected]

Vowels

Monophthongs

Monophthong phonemes as well as four allophones [e, ə, ɛː, ɐ] of Luxembourgish on a vowel chart. Adapted from Gilles & Trouvain (2013:70). The non-native /y, yː, øː, œ, œː/ nor /õː, ɛ̃ː, ɑ̃ː/ are not shown.

• /i, iː/ are close front unrounded [i, iː].^[2][8]
• The front rounded vowels /y, yː, øː, œ, œː/ appear only in loanwords from French and Standard German. In loanwords from French, nasal /õː, ɛ̃ː, ɑ̃ː/ also occur.^[3]
• /u, uː/ are close back rounded [u, uː].^[2][8]
• /e/ has two allophones:
  • Before velars: close-mid front unrounded [e],^[2][8] which for some speakers may be open-mid [ɛ] - this is especially frequent before /ʀ/.^[8]
  • All other positions: mid central vowel, more often slightly rounded [ɵ̞] than unrounded [ə].^[8] Contrary to Standard German, the sequence of /ə/ and a sonorant never results in a syllabic sonorant.^[9]
• /eː/ has been variously described as near-close front unrounded [e̝ː]^[8] and close-mid front unrounded [eː].^[2] The near-close realization may overlap with /i/.^[8]
  • Before /ʀ/ it is realized as open-mid front unrounded [ɛː].^[8]
• /o/ is close-mid back rounded [o].^[2][8] Especially before /ʀ/, it may be open-mid [ɔ] for some speakers.^[8]
• /oː/ has been variously described as near-close back rounded [o̝ː]^[8] and close-mid back rounded [oː].^[2] The near-close realization may overlap with /u/.^[8]
• /æ/ has been variously described as slightly lowered near-open front unrounded [æ̞]^[8] and near-open front unrounded [æ].^[2]
• /aː/ is the long variant of /ɑ/, not /æ/ (which does not have a long counterpart). It has been variously described as slightly retracted open front unrounded [aː]^[8] and open front unrounded [aː].^[2] Sometimes it may have the same quality as the short /æ/.^[9]
• /ɑ/ has been variously described as near-open back unrounded [ɑ̝]^[8] and open near-back unrounded [ɑ̟].^[2]

• The unstressed, non-prevocalic sequence /eʀ/ is realized as a low unrounded vowel, the quality of which has been variously described as near-open near-back vowel [ɐ̠]^[8] and near-open central vowel [ɐ].^[2]

Trouvain & Gilles (2009) transcribe /ə, ɑ̃ː/ as /ë, ãː/.^[2]

Diphthongs

Diphthong phonemes of Luxembourgish on a vowel chart. Adapted from Gilles & Trouvain (2013:71). The non-native /oɪ/ is not shown.

• /iə/ begins in the close front unrounded area [i], ends in the mid central unrounded area [ə].^[2][9]
• /uə/ begins in the close back rounded area [u], ends in the mid central unrounded area [ə].^[2][9]
• /ɜɪ/ has two variants:
  • A variant which begins in the mid central unrounded area [ə], ends in the close front unrounded area [i].^[9]
  • A variant which begins in the mid near-front unrounded area [e̽],^[9] ends in the close front unrounded area [i].^[2][9] The starting point of this variant has also been described as close-mid front [e].^[2]
• /oɪ/ appears only in loanwords from Standard German.^[10]
• /əʊ/ begins in the mid central unrounded area [ə], ends in the close back rounded area [u].^[2][9]
• /æːɪ/ begins open front unrounded area [a],^[9] ends in the close front unrounded area [i].^[2][9] The starting point has also been described as somewhat higher, i.e. near-open [æ].^[2]
  • The first element may be phonetically short in fast speech or in unstressed syllables.^[9]
• /æːʊ/ begins in the open front unrounded area [a],^[9] ends in the close back rounded area [u].^[2][9] The starting point has also been described as somewhat higher, i.e. near-open [æ].^[2]
  • The first element may be phonetically short in fast speech or in unstressed syllables.^[9]
• /ɑɪ/ begins in the near-open back unrounded area [ɑ̝],^[9] ends in the close front unrounded area [i].^[2][9] The starting point has also been described as somewhat lower, i.e. open [ɑ].^[2]
• /ɑʊ/ begins in the near-open back unrounded area [ɑ̝],^[9] ends in the close back rounded area [u].^[2][9] The starting point has also been described as somewhat lower, i.e. open [ɑ].^[2]

Trouvain & Gilles (2009) transcribe /ɜɪ, oɪ, æːɪ, æːʊ/ as /eɪ, ɔɪ, æˑɪ, æˑʊ/.^[2]

The /æːɪ–ɑɪ/ and /æːʊ–ɑʊ/ contrasts arose from the former lexical tone contrast; the shorter /ɑɪ, ɑʊ/ were used in words with Accent 1, whereas the lengthened /æːɪ, æːʊ/ were used in words with Accent 2.^[10]

Additional phonetic diphthongs arise after vocalisation of /ʀ/.^[9] These are [iːɐ, uːɐ, oːɐ, ɛːɐ]. However, the sequence /aːʀ/ is realized the same as long /aː/, unless a vowel follows within the same word.

Note that the letter ⟨é⟩ today prepresents the same sound as ⟨ë⟩ before ⟨ch⟩. The ostensibly inconsistent spelling ⟨é⟩ is based on the traditional, now widely obsolete pronunciation of the sound represented by ⟨ch⟩ as a palatal [ç]. As this consonant is pronounced further back in the mouth, it triggered the use of the front allophone of /e/ (that is [e]) as is the case before the velars (/k, ŋ/). Since the more forward alveolo-palatal [ɕ] has replaced the palatal [ç] for almost all speakers, the allophone [ə] is used as before any non-velar consonant. So the word mécht ('[he] makes'), which is now pronounced [məɕt], used to be pronounced [meçt]; this is the reason for the spelling. The spelling ⟨mëcht⟩, which reflects the contemporary pronunciation is not yet standard.

References

Bibliography

Further reading