Danish: An Essential Grammar

Tom Lundskaer-Nielsen, Philip Holmes

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9781134004720
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Languages
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Danish: An Essential Grammar is a reference guide to the most important aspects of current Danish as it is used by native speakers.

It presents a fresh and accessible description of the language, focusing on those areas of Danish that pose particular problems for English speakers but at the same time providing a broad general account of the language.

The Grammar is the ideal source of reference for the learner of Danish in the early and middle stages. It is suitable for independent study or for students in schools, colleges, universities and adult classes of all types.

This new edition has been fully updated to reflect changes in current language use and recent cultural developments. Features include:

• clear, jargon-free explanations
• many tables and diagrams for extra clarity
• separate glossary of linguistic and grammatical terms
• detailed index with key Danish and English words

Chapter 1
Pronunciation and spelling

This brief account of Danish pronunciation uses a modified version of IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet).

1.1 Vowel sounds

1.1.1 Vowels and their pronunciation

1.1.1.1 Unrounded vowels

1.1.1.2 Rounded vowels

Rounded front vowels

Rounded back vowels

Notes:

The pronunciation of the letters i, o, u, y when representing short vowels is often more open than is usually associated with these letters:

finde [fenə], bombe [båmbə], kul [kål], skylle [sgølə]

The pronunciation of e, æ, a, ø, å before and after r is more open than in other positions:

long vowels: ren, træ, fare, frø, gøre, får

short vowels: fred, fræk, fra, var, krølle, børste, rådhus

1.1.1.3 The position of Danish vowels

Unrounded vowels

Rounded vowels

1.1.1.4 Vowels by articulation

1.1.1.5 Approximate equivalent to pronunciation

(Here, ‘English’ = Standard British English)

Long i	[iː]	ee in English ‘bee’
Short i	[i]	i in English ‘sin’
Long e	[eː]	No equivalent in English, cf. es in French ‘les’
Short e	[e]	i in English ‘if’
Unstressed e	[ə]	initial a in English ‘again’
Long æ	[ɛː]	ai in English ‘said’
Short æ	[ɛ]	e in English ‘pet’
Long a	[aː]	a in English ‘bad’, but slightly more open
Short a	[a]	a in English ‘hat’
Long (open) a	[ɑː]	a in English ‘card’
Short (open) a	[ɑ]	ea in English ‘heart’, but shorter
Long y	[yː]	No equivalent in English, cf. ü in German ‘Bühne’
Short y	[y]	No equivalent in English, cf. ü in German ‘Glück’
Long ø	[øː]	No equivalent in English, cf. ö in German ‘schön’
Short ø	[ø]	No equivalent in English, cf. eux in French ‘deux’
Long (open) ø	[œː]	No equivalent in English, cf. eu in French ‘leur’
Short (open) ø	[œ]	No equivalent in English, cf. eu in French ‘neuf’
Long u	[uː]	oo in English ‘room’
Short u	[u]	u in English ‘full’
Long o	[oː]	No equivalent in English, cf. o in German ‘froh’
Short o	[o]	No equivalent in English, cf. eau in French ‘beau’
Long å	[åː]	No equivalent in English, French or German
Short å	[å]	No equivalent in English, French or German
Long (open) å	[ɔː]	a in English ‘all’
Short (open) å	[ɔ]	o in English ‘hot’

Notes:

The pronunciation of e is very variable and difficult to predict. In unstressed syllables, the letter e is pro...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface to the first edition
• Preface to the second edition
• Symbols and abbreviations used in the text
• Chapter 1. Pronunciation and spelling
• Chapter 2. Nouns
• Chapter 3. Adjectives
• Chapter 4. Numerals
• Chapter 5. Pronouns
• Chapter 6. Verbs
• Chapter 7. Adverbs
• Chapter 8. Prepositions
• Chapter 9. Interjections
• Chapter 10. Conjunctions
• Chapter 11. Word order and sentence structure
• Chapter 12. Word formation
• Chapter 13. Orthography
• Chapter 14. Punctuation
• Linguistic terms
• Latin, Danish and English linguistic terms
• Bibliography
• Index