Ten Pronunciations of Stroopwafel

The Dutch word stroopwafel means syrup waffle. It is a thin and round waffle cookie with a caramel filling between two layers. Due to the numerous dialects of Dutch, the word can be pronounced in at least ten different ways.

In Belgium the word stroopwafel is pronounced with a monophthong in the first syllable and a labiovelar approximant in the second. In most of Belgium the /r/ is an alveolar trill. However, in the cities of Brussels and Ghent, it is a uvular fricative or trill.  Thus the word stroopwafel has two pronunciations in Belgium.

In the southwestern Netherlands, most speakers have an alveolar trill. The first syllable has a monophthong and the second has a labiodental approximant. The labiodental approximant is used in the Netherlands instead of the labiovelar approximant.

In Amsterdam and the northern Netherlands, the alveolar trill is also common, but the first syllable has a diphthong. The diphthong is used instead of the monophthong of the southern Netherlands and Belgium. In the city of Leiden many speakers use an alveolar approximant in the first syllable rather than an alveolar trill and a diphthong in the second syllable.

In the southeastern Netherlands the /r/ is a uvular fricative and the second syllable has a monophthong. In cities such as the Hague, however, the second syllable has a diphthong. The /r/ is also a uvular fricative in Rotterdam, but the second syllable has the diphthong used in RP. The first component is a mid front unrounded tense vowel and the second component is a high back rounded lax vowel. In Utrecht, the /r/ is a uvular trill and the first vowel of the second syllable is a low back vowel rather than a low central vowel.

Most Dutch speakers use a velarized lateral in the word stroopwafel. However, in Nijmegen, a city of the eastern Netherlands close to the German border, the lateral is not velarized. This is also the case for other areas of the eastern Netherlands.

Here is a summary of the ten different pronunciations of stroopwafel in Dutch:

most of Belgium: alveolar trill, monophthong, labiovelar approximant

part of Belgium: uvular fricative/trill, monophthong, labiovelar approximant

most of the southwestern Netherlands: alveolar trill, monophthong, labiodental approximant

southeastern Netherlands: uvular fricative, monophthong, labiodental approximant

Nijmegen: uvular fricative, monophthong, labiodental approximant, alveolar lateral without velarization

Amsterdam and the northern Netherlands: alveolar trill, diphthong, labiodental approximant

Leiden: alveolar approximant, diphthong, labiodental approximant

The Hague: uvular fricative, diphthong, labiodental approximant

Rotterdam: uvular fricative, diphthong of RP, labiodental approximant

Utrecht: uvular trill, diphthong, low back vowel in second syllable

In the word stroopwafel, a number of segments can be pronounced differently. The /r/ can be a uvular fricative, uvular trill, alveolar trill or alveolar approximant. This results in at least ten different pronunciations.