German Phonology - Consonants

Consonants

With approximately 25 phonemes, the German consonant system exhibits an average number of consonants in comparison with other languages. One of the more noteworthy ones is the unusual affricate /p͡f/.

• ^1 In the northern varieties, occurs before word stems with initial vowel. It is not considered a phoneme, but an optional boundary mark of word stems.
• ^2a The phonemic status of affricates is controversial. The majority view accepts /p͡f/ and /t͡s/, but not /t͡ʃ/ or the non-native /d͡ʒ/; some accept none, some accept all, and some accept all as well as other clusters such as /ps/.
• ^2 and occur only in words of foreign origin. In certain varieties, they are replaced by and altogether.
• ^3 is occasionally considered to be an allophone of, especially in Southern varieties of German.
• ^4 and are traditionally regarded as allophones after front vowels and back vowels. For a more detailed analysis see below at ich-Laut and ach-Laut. According to some analyses, is an allophone of /x/ after /a aː/ and according to some also after /ʊ ɔ aʊ̯/.
• ^5, and are in free variation with one another. is used mainly in Bavarian and Franconian varieties and in classical singing. Elsewhere, it is either not used at all or a recessive feature often confined to the elderly rural population. (See map at right.) In the syllable coda, the allophone is used in most varieties, except in the South-West.
• ^6 Some phonologists deny the phoneme /ŋ/ and use /nɡ/ instead, and /nk/ instead of /ŋk/. The phoneme sequence /nɡ/ is realized as when /ɡ/ can start a valid onset of the next syllable whose nucleus is a vowel other than unstressed /ə/, /ɪ/, or /ʊ/. It becomes otherwise. Example:
  • Diphthong /dɪftɔnɡ/ : diphthongieren /dɪftɔnɡirən/
  • Englisch /ɛnɡlɪʃ/ : Anglo /anɡlo/
  • Ganges /ɡanɡəs/ ~ /ɡanɡɛs/

The voiceless stops /p/, /t/, /k/ are aspirated except when preceded by a sibilant. The obstruents /b d ɡ z ʒ/ are voiceless in the Southern varieties.