English Pronunciation for Icelanders
English Pronunciation for Icelanders
English Pronunciation for Icelanders
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23<br />
2.2 Fricatives and affricates<br />
2 7<br />
<strong>English</strong> fricatives occur in <strong>for</strong>tis-lenis pairs, except <strong>for</strong> h.<br />
Listen to them at the beginning of words<br />
<strong>for</strong>tis lenis <strong>for</strong>tis lenis <strong>for</strong>tis lenis <strong>for</strong>tis lenis<br />
f v þ ð s z S G<br />
ferry very thin this Sarah zero shame genre<br />
The two last sounds also occur as parts of the two <strong>English</strong><br />
affricates:<br />
<strong>for</strong>tis<br />
T<br />
cherry<br />
lenis<br />
D<br />
Jerry<br />
The <strong>for</strong>tis sounds f, þ and s are very much like the Icelandic<br />
sounds. Listen to the following, and see if you can hear any<br />
difference in the fricatives:<br />
fate - feit few - fjúka <strong>for</strong>k - fok<br />
thick - þykk thatch - þekja thorn - þorn<br />
seem - sími set - set saw - sog<br />
But their lenis equivalents are different from Icelandic sounds:<br />
v and ð are much harder in <strong>English</strong> - technically speaking, v & ð<br />
are fricatives in <strong>English</strong>, while Icelandic v and ð are closer to<br />
being approximants. Listen to the difference between Icelandic<br />
and <strong>English</strong> v in initial position:<br />
very - vel vine - væn vow - vá vase - vasi<br />
If you use the soft Icelandic pronunciation of v it may sound<br />
like w to <strong>English</strong> speakers.<br />
In Icelandic ð does not occur at the beginning of words.<br />
Medially and finally, <strong>English</strong> and Icelandic v and ð are even less<br />
similar. In Icelandic it's quite common <strong>for</strong> them to disappear<br />
completely, and you should try to listen to your own speech and
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