Palatalization in Swedish and Norwegian

Swedish and Norwegian exhibit more palatalization than Danish. In Danish the velar consonants /g/ and /k/ are often palatalized in Swedish and Norwegian. The difference can be observed in many words.

The word guest is gæst in Danish. The pronunciation is similar to that of English. However, it is gäst in Swedish and gjest in Norwegian. In Swedish and Norwegian, the first consonant is not the voiced velar plosive of Danish but rather the palatal approximant in the word yesterday.

Another example is the word kød, the Danish word for meat. In Danish the first consonant is the velar plosive of king, but in Swedish and Norwegian the first consonant is palatal. The Swedish word is kött and the Norwegian word is kjøtt. In both languages the first consonant is similar to the first consonant in the English word huge.

The velar consonants of Danish are often palatalized in Swedish and Norwegian. In this regard, Danish can be considered more conversative, and Swedish and Norwegian can be considered more innovative. Danish maintains the historical pronunciation, but Swedish and Norwegian do not.