ICELANDIC PHONOLOGY

Letter b d Context [p] [t] [] before an unvoiced consonant and as the final sound initially and before f, s, f [] IPA bl [pl] ('disaster') u ur [ t r] ('dog') vera [vra] ('to become') a ur [ a r] ('maggot'), a [a] ('it') a] ('to decline') Examples

[f]

fl [flou] ('flea'); afakka [afa af [ ap ] a at

between a vowel and l, [p] n after vowels initially, before n, l or after a consonant initially before e, i, , y, , , j [v] [k] [c] []

aflar [ aplar] ('gables')

af [av] ('off'); sofa [sva] ('sleep') gng [ ] ('tunnel'); grunn [ r ] ('shallow'), gegnum [c ] t rou r [ r ] ('many') Geysir [c s r] ('Geysir'); gys [c s] ('mockery'); gj [cau] ('ravine') saga [saa] ('story'); gra [ra] ('threaten'); lg [l] ('law') lagi [la j ] ('order'); segja [s ja] ('to say') hugsa [ r xsa] or [ sa] ('think'); sagt [saxt] ('said') fur [ v r] f

after vowels

between a vowel and i, [j] j between a vowel and s, [x] t initially h before v initially, before j j [h] [ ] [] [j] after k, g initially initially before e, i, , y, , , j after a vowel or s k [ ] [c] [k]

s [ us] ous [r t ] ('clean')

v r [ vr] ('hot spring') hj [au] ('by') eyja [ ja] ('island'); j [ju] ('yes' (to negative questions)) gj [cau] ('ravine'); kjt [ct] ('meat') krakki [ ra c ] ( c l ttur [ t r] ('cat') r [ca r] ('dear'); kenna [c a] ('teach'); kjt [ct] ('meat') va ur [va r] ('ambling'); skra [s ra] ('scream') s r [sca r ] sc ssors a [pau c ] ('bank'); ekkja [ ca] ow R y jav [r cav ] akka [a sakna [sa a] ('thank'); ekki [ c ] ('not'); a] ('miss'); kk [ ] ('thanks')

between a vowel [c] or s and e, i, , y, , , j before k, t, n before s, t [hk] [x] [l] before p, t, k [l] [tl] [tl]

sjkt [sjuxt] ('sick') lf [l v] ('life'); tala [tala] ('talk') st lpa [stlpa] all [ atl ] flaw rl rusl [r stl] ('garbage') s ll [sa tl] (a greeting)

ll

in foreign words and in [l] names [m] before p, t, k [ ] [n]

galli [ al ] ('outfit'); Kalli [ al ] ('Kalli') mii [ ] ('ticket'); lambi [la p ] ('lamb' dat.)

m n

la p [la p ] ('lamp') nu [ ] ('nine'); njta [ jouta] ('enjoy')

before t and wordfinally after a voiceless [ ] consonant after , , , , , , ei, ey, au in the definite article [t ] [t ] [ ] [ ] ng before l, s before t before i, j [] [] [ c] [ ] nk before i, j word-finally initially after a vowel or s p before l, n, p before k, s, t [ c] [ ] [p] [p] [hp] [f] [r] r before p, t, k, s, f and, optionally, also wordfinally [r]

va ta [va ta] vat [va t ] wat r [ ] ('silence') seinna [s t a] latt r p [spaut ] ('Spain')

nn

maurinn [ a r ] ('the man'); brnni [pru ] ('the bridge' dat.) s ur [s parliament) u ta a ta r] (singing, song); ing [ ] (gathering,

ungs [us] (young) t [ut] (heavy) c ] (long, for a long time); syngja [s ca] (sing) r] (tank) ur [tau lengi [l

[pau c ] (bank) [tauk] (tank (accusative))

pfi [pauv ] (pope) tapa [tapa] los l pja [lpja] lap v r j lp [aulp] lp tappi [ta p ] (cork, stopper); happ [ a p] (luck) dpka [t f a] (to deepen); skips [sc fs] (ship gen); september[sft pr] (September); rtt [ rou t] (sport); rs [rous] (rose) ort [ rt] ap car ars [ ars] a ur [ta r ta r] ay arc

rl rn s sl sn initially t after a vowel or s before l, n, t v x z (archaic)

[rtl rtl tl] kerling [crtl ctl ] (old woman) [rt rt t ] [s] [s(t)l] [s(t)n] [t] [t] [ht] [v] [xs] /[ks] [s] [] ar [part pat ] (child)

saga [saa] (story, history); sj [sj] (seven) sland [ s t lant] (Iceland) s ll [s t j tl] (snail, slug) tv r [tva r] (two) atur [ at r] foo sta a [sta ta] sta v trar [vtrar] (winter (genitive) drottning [tr t ] qu stutt [st t] s ort v r [vr ] (work, act, deed) vxtur [vxst r] (growth, increase); kex [c s] (cookie, cracker, biscuit) slenzka = slenska [ s t l ska] (the Icelandic language) urr [ r] (dry); riji [r j ] (third) vat [va t ] (water, lake);