German Glottal Stop

The use of the glottal stop is extensive in German. Almost all German words begin with a consonant. The reason is that the glottal stop precedes German words that would otherwise start with a vowel.

In the phrase das Essen (the food), a glottal stop is inserted between das and Essen. As a result, the Maximum Onset Principle, which places the maximum number of consonants in the onset, does not apply. The glottal stop is inserted between Prinz (Prince) and Eugen (Eugene) in the phrase Prinz Eugen. Again the Maximum Onset Principle does not apply.

The glottal stop is inserted between the first two vowels of Theater (theatre). The second syllable of the word is stressed, which creates the environment for the glottal stop. However, in the name Lea, the first syllable is stressed and the glottal stop is not used.

Let us consider the sentence Sie hat Äpfel und Birnen. It means She has apples and pears. In the sentence the glottal stop occurs before the words Äpfel and und.

Not all words written with an initial vowel are preceded by the glottal stop. One such word is the preposition in (in). In the sentence Ich wohne in Berlin (I live in Berlin), the glottal stop is used only once, at the start of the sentence.

Many languages use the glottal stop. However, it is used frequently in German. Almost all German words begin with a consonant because it precedes most words which would otherwise begin with a vowel.