Icelandic phonology

Emphasis

Each Icelandic word carries its emphasis on the first syllable. Each vowel can be both long short. This also applies to diphthongs. They are long, when a consonant follows a single or a combination of p, t, k, s r, j, v follows. Accordingly, the e in the proper name is Esja [' ɛ ː sya ] long. Unstressed syllables are always short to medium in length but never long.

Vowels

Different ways of pronunciation may be regionally limited; exists between the scientists here is some disagreement.

Note that the long vowels [ ɛ :], [ ɔ: ] and [œ: ] are pronounced in practice usually as [ eɛ ], [ oɔ ] and [ OOE ], but are rarely recorded as diphthongs. So effectively would cause [' veɛra ], coma [k ʰ oɔma ], gömul [ køœmʏl ], etc.

Consonants

Note: The plosives [ p], [t ], [ k] and [c ] are always voiceless and differ only in aspiration and in the voicing of preceding nasal consonants ( cf. lambi vs. lampi ).

Peculiarities in pronunciation

Comments

Each consonant is spoken long when it is written twice ( fyrrum [' fɪr Øm ː ] ). Exceptions are p, t, k, they will as mentioned präaspiriert. Follows a double consonant, another consonant, the double consonant appears as a single ( allt [Alt ʰ ] ). The combination hé is always treated as hje ( HERNA [' çɛrtna ] ). The word has gud ( all configurations ) an irregular pronunciation: gud [ kvʏ ː ð ]; Guðmundur [' kvʏ ðmʏntʏr̥ ː ]. Furthermore illur in all forms of the word such as [ i] instead of [ ɪ ] is the i pronounced, thus: illur [' itlʏr̥ ]; illa [' itla ].

In addition, irregular:

Mega [' mεi ɣa ː ] (because Megid [' mεi jɪð ː ] )

Spegla [' spεikla ] (because spegill [' spεi jɪtl̥ ː ] )

Fegnir [' fεiknɪr̥ ] (because feginn [' fεi ː jɪn ː ] )