Regional Differences in German Pronunciation

The German language has considerable variation. This extends to not only vocabulary but also pronunciation. The differences in pronunciation are often regional.

The word zwanwig means twenty. In northern Germany, the final segment is a palatal fricative. In the west of Germany, it is a voiceless alveopalatal fricative and in the south, it is a voiceless velar plosive.

The word Tag means day. In Switzerland the final segment is a voiced velar plosive. However, in Austria and most of Germany, the final segment is a voiceless velar plosive. In northern Germany, the final segment is a voiceless velar fricative.

Another word with different pronunciations is Sprache. It means language. In most regions, the /r/ is a uvular fricative, but in southern Germany and Austria, it is often realized as an alveolar trill. The /s/ is a voiceless alveopalatal fricative, but in northern Germany it is a voiceless alveolar fricative.

In Austria, Switzerland and most of Germany, the final segment of the word Burg (castle) is a voiceless velar plosive. In northern Germany, though, it is a voiceless velar fricative. This can be considered a form of lenition.

The /s/ of Rose (rose) is pronounced as a /z/ by most German speakers. The rule is that the /s/ becomes voiced intervocalically. In southern Germany and Austria, however, many do not use the voiced alveolar fricative and use the voiceless counterpart.

The pronunciation of German varies from one region to another. The alveolar trill is often used in Austria, Switzerland and southern Germany, and the voiceless palatal fricative and voiceless velar fricative are often used in the north instead of the velar plosive. The pronunciation used by speakers often helps to identify the region they are from.