Sound Correspondence Between Swedish and Danish/Norwegian

Swedish, Norwegian and Danish are North Germanic languages which share many similar words. They also have many sound correspondences. Many Swedish words which end in an a end have an e in Norwegian and Danish. Here is a list to illustrate with the Swedish word on the left and then the Norwegian and Danish words:

duva due due (pigeon)

kaka kake kage (cake)

klocka klokke klokke (clock)

kyrka kirke kirke (church)

krona krone krone (crown)

näsa nese næse (nose)

skola skole skole (school)

soppa suppe suppe (soup)

åtta åtte otte (eight)

öra øre øre (ear)

The list provides Swedish words with a final a that correspond to a final e in Norwegian and Danish. The final e of Norwegian and Danish is unstressed and thus pronounced as a schwa. The final a of Swedish is the original sound. The change to a schwa in Norwegian and Danish is an example of vowel weakening.