Pronunciation of Dutch g

The Dutch g is not a velar plosive. It is a fricative. The pronunciation varies from that of a uvular or velar fricative in the north of the Netherlands to that of a fronted velar fricative or palatal fricative in the south. In Belgium it is pronounced as in the south of the Netherlands, a fronted velar fricative or palatal fricative.

The letter g was once pronounced in Dutch as a velar plosive. The change to a fricative is called spirantization. It is an example of lenition or weakening.  The Dutch pronunciation of the letter g is different from that of German, French and English.

In the Netherlands the velar or uvular fricative in used in most of the country. The three southern provinces which use the fronted velar or palatal fricative are Zeeland, North Brabant and Limburg. Dutch speakers in northern Belgium use the same sound as in the southern Netherlands.

In Dutch the letter g is pronounced differently in the northern Netherlands than it is in the southern Netherlands and Belgium. The sound used in the north is often called the hard g and the sound used in the south is the soft g. The letter g of Dutch is always a fricative and never a plosive.