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Reading German by Edward Swick, M.A.

Just like English, German uses the twenty-six-letter alphabet designed by the Romans. Although most of the letters are the same visually, some have a distinctly unique pronunciation in German. Learning the German sounds of the alphabet is not a difficult task and will allow you to read words with ease.

Fact

In addition to the letters that are identical in both German and English, there are four letters that occur in German that do not in English. Three require the addition of an umlaut over a vowel: ä, ö, and ü. The fourth letter is a special compound of s and z and looks like this in the modern language: ß.

Once you are familiar with the characteristics of German pronunciation, you will find that you can pronounce nearly all words upon seeing them for the first time, because German is, for the most part, a phonetic language. Any variances from standard pronunciation will be pointed out and explained. In the Pronunciation Key you will find examples of how to pronounce individual letters, letter combinations, and special letters. The comparable English pronunciation of the letters and letter combinations is only a guide. To be absolutely precise about pronunciation, ask a German-speaking friend to say the sounds for you. However, the key will provide you with a close facsimile of German that will be understood by any German speaker.

PRONOUNCIATION KEY

German

English Representation Letter(s)

Comparable English Pronunciation

A

a

“a” in father

ä

ay

“ai” in pain

AA

a

“a” in father

AI

i

“i” in like

AH

a

“a” in father

AU

ow

“ow” in how

äU

oy

“oy” in boy

B

b

“b” in baby

C

ts

“ts” in its

CH

h

“ch” in Scottish loch

CK

k

“ck” in sick

D

d

“d” in dad

DT

t

“t” in tot

E

ay

“ai” in pain

EH

ay

“ai” in pain

EI

i

“i” in like

EU

oy

“oy” in boy

F

f

“f” in fife

G

g

“g” in go

H

h

“h” in how

I

ee

“ee” in sleep

IE

ee

“ee” in sleep

J

y

“y” in yolk

K

k

“k” in kick

L

l

“l” in lull

M

m

“m” in mom

N

n

“n” in nun

O

o

“o” in open

OH

o

“o” in open

OO

o

“o” in open

ö

er

“e” in her

P

p

“p” in pup

PF

pf

“pf” in carp food

PH

f

“ph” in photo

QU

kv

“kv” in sick vet

R

r

“r” in red (guttural)

ER

er

“er” in father (British)

S

z

“z” in zoo

S

s

(final) “s” in kiss

SS

s

“ss” in kiss

ß

s

“ss” in kiss

SCH

sh

“sh” in shush

T

t

“t” in tot

TSCH

ch

“ch” in church

TZ

ts

“ts” in its

U

oo

“oo” in moon

UH

oo

“oo” in moon

ü

(ue)

(“oo” while saying “ee”)

V

f

“f” in fife

v

“v” in very

W

v

“v” in very

X

x

“x” six

Y

(ue)

(“oo” while saying “ee”)

Z

ts

“ts” in its
<B>Essential</B></h2> <p>Certain consonants that end a word and sometimes a syllable become voiceless. When a consonant is voiced there is resonation in the throat (b, g, z, and so on). When it is voiceless, there is no resonation in the throat. The German voiced consonants are d, g, w, and z. Their voiceless counterparts are p, t, k, f, and s.</p> </div> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/introduction-to-german/" title="Introduction to German">Introduction to German</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/introduction-to-german/vowels.htm" title="Vowels">Vowels</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/introduction-to-german/reading-german.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Reading German - German Phrases </a></li> <li><a href="http://german.about.com/library/anfang/blanfang_abc3.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> German for Beginners: Pronunciation Guide </a></li> <li><a href="http://french.about.com/od/pronunciation/a/beginningpronunciation.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Beginning French Pronunciation </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/introduction-to-german/cognates.htm" 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