Hard and soft G in Dutch

Hard and soft G in Dutch (Dutch: harde en zachte G) refers to a phonological phenomenon of the pronunciation of the letters ⟨g⟩ and ⟨ch⟩ and also a major isogloss within that language.

In northern dialects of Dutch, the letters represent velar ([ɣ] and [x], respectively) or uvular fricatives [χ], the so-called hard G.

However, in most northern dialects, the distinction is no longer made, with both sounds pronounced as [x] or [χ]. In those dialects that merge ⟨g⟩ and ⟨ch⟩, it is still possible for some speakers to pronounce ⟨g⟩ as [ɣ] intervocallically.

In many southern dialects of Dutch, ⟨g⟩ and ⟨ch⟩ represent front-velar fricatives ([ɣ̟] and [x̟]), the so-called soft G.

Pronunciation

File:PlaceOfArticulation.svg

Place of the tongue for a soft G (between 6 and 7) and a hard G (at or farther back than 7).

Overview

• Hard ⟨g⟩ pronunciation:
  • ⟨g⟩ represents [ɣ], [x] or [χ], a voiced velar, a voiceless velar or a voiceless uvular fricative, depending on the dialect.
  • ⟨ch⟩ represents [x] or [χ], a voiceless velar or a voiceless uvular fricative, depending on the dialect.
• Soft ⟨g⟩ pronunciation:
  • ⟨g⟩ represents [ɣ̟], a voiced front-velar fricative.
  • ⟨ch⟩ represents [x̟], voiceless front-velar fricative.

Examples

Symbol	Example
IPA		orthography	Gloss
[x] / [χ] (Hard G)	[ɑxt] / [ɑχt]	acht	'eight'
[x̟] (Soft G)	[ɑx̟t]
[ɣ] / [x] / [χ] (Hard G)	[ɣaːn] / [xaːn] / [χaːn]	gaan	'to go'
[ɣ̟] (Soft G)	[ɣ̟aːn]

Geographical distribution

The hard ⟨g⟩ is used primarily in the northern part of the Dutch language area in Europe:

• All of the Netherlands except for some dialects of Gelderland and Utrecht, and most dialects of North Brabant and Limburg.
• Most dialects of West Flanders and East Flanders. Those dialects, both in Belgium, as well as the ones of Zeeland, realise ⟨g⟩ as [ɣ ~ ɦ], and ⟨ch⟩ as [x ~ h]. Since those dialects usually feature H-dropping as well, ⟨g⟩ does not merge with ⟨h⟩.

The soft ⟨g⟩ is used primarily in the southern part of the Dutch language area in Europe:

• The Netherlands
  • The provinces of Limburg and North Brabant.
  • Parts of the province of Gelderland namely the Bommelerwaard, Betuwe, the region surrounding and including Nijmegen, Land van Maas en Waal, the southern part of the Veluwe and the Achterhoek.
  • The sutheastern part of the province of Utrecht.
• Dutch-speaking Belgium except for most of West Flanders and East Flanders.

See also

• Dutch phonology