Pronunciation of Dutch Mid Vowels

The pronunciation of Dutch mid vowels varies. In northern Dutch, the mid vowels of southern Dutch and Belgian Dutch are diphthongized. In the southern Netherlands and Belgium they are thus monophthongs. This is a noticeable difference between the pronunciation of the northern Netherlands and the pronunciation of the southern Netherlands and Belgium. 

The mid front unrounded vowel that is pronounced [e] in Belgium and the southern Netherlands is pronounced [eI] in the northern Netherlands. The mid back vowel that is pronounced [o] in Belgium and the southern Netherlands is pronounced [oʊ] in the northern Netherlands. The mid front rounded vowel that is pronounced [ø] in Belgium and the southern Netherlands is the diphthong [øy] in the northern Netherlands.

Here are words that differ in pronunciation in Belgium and the southern Netherlands from the pronunciation of the northern Netherlands:

een (one)

thee (tea)

zee (sea)

boot (boat)

hoop (hope)

zoon (son)

heup (hip}

leuk (nice)

neus (nose)   

In the northern Netherlands, the diphthong [øy] is pronounced [ø] before the rhotic consonant. For example, the word deur (door) is pronounced with a mid front rounded vowel in both varieties of Dutch. However,  a number of northern Dutch speakers produce a high back rounded lax vowel. Nevertheless, all speakers produce a monophthong in this environment.

Dutch pronunciation can vary significantly from one dialect to another. One difference between the pronunciation of the northern Netherlands and that of the southern Netherlands and Belgium concerns that of diphthongs and monophthongs. Two mid front vowels and one mid back vowel of Belgium and the southern Netherlands are diphthongs in the northern Netherlands.