North German
North German Accent
Common occupations:
Trade, business.
History:
The German language derives from ancient Gothic. Many sounds of the Anglo-Saxon and Old English, once pronounced, have disappeared.
Northern Germany traditionally has a Protestant majority.
Characterized by higher levels of income and gender equality.
Geography:
Northern Germany is characterized by the North German Plain, including marshlands along the coastlines of the North and Baltic Seas.
Characteristics:
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Non-rhotic: drop the final "r" and the "r" before another consonant. For North German, use a uvular "r."
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Final voiced consonants shift to voiceless
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"b" becomes "p"
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"d" becomes "t"
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"dg" becomes "ch"
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"g" becomes "k"
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"v" becomes "f"
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"z" becomes "s"
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Initial "w" shifts to "v"
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Initial "s" sometimes shifts to "z"
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Dark liquid l (as in "pull"): in Standard High German is similar to the French "l"
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For "TH/th" substitute "z/s" for North German
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Substitute the lengthened pure vowel "o:" for the diphthong "O"; the lengthened vowel "e:" for the diphthong "ay"
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Substitute "e" for "a" in a heavy or medium accent
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Use the vowel system for British RP
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To create a light German accent, follow the advice about shifting final voiced consonants to voiceless consonants.
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The stress is often on the first syllable, but with words beginning in prefixes such as "ge," are often stressed on the second syllable.
Exercises:
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Push your lips forward and say avail avail avail. This will give you the correct general position of the vocal apparatus.
Plays:
Cabaret