PHONETICS
Chapter 3: The Dutch Vowel System - Long Vowels
Learning Objectives
- Produce the Dutch long vowels accurately
- Understand the spelling patterns for long vowels
- Contrast long vowels with their short counterparts
3.1 Overview of Dutch Long Vowels
Dutch has the following long vowels:
| IPA | Dutch Spelling | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| /aː/ | aa, a | maan, manen | Open, long “ah” |
| /eː/ | ee, e | been, benen | Pure “ay” without glide |
| /iː/ | ie | bier | Like “ee” in “see” |
| /oː/ | oo, o | boot, boten | Pure “oh” without glide |
| /yː/ | uu, u | buur, buren | Rounded “ee” |
| /øː/ | eu | neus | Rounded “ay” |
3.2 Spelling Rules for Long Vowels
In closed syllables (ending in a consonant): Double the vowel letter
- maan (moon), been (leg), boot (boat)
In open syllables (ending in a vowel): Single vowel letter
- ma-nen (moons), be-nen (legs), bo-ten (boats)
3.3 The Long /aː/ Sound
Articulation:
- Open mouth wide
- Tongue low and central-to-back
- Hold the sound longer than short /ɑ/
Practice Words:
- maan /maːn/ - moon
- naam /naːm/ - name
- straat /straːt/ - street
- kaas /kaːs/ - cheese
- gaan /ɣaːn/ - to go
Minimal Pairs:
- man /mɑn/ (man) vs. maan /maːn/ (moon)
- tak /tɑk/ (branch) vs. taak /taːk/ (task)
3.4 The Long /eː/ Sound
Articulation:
- Mid-front vowel
- Lips spread
- Critical: Do NOT glide! English “say” = /seɪ/. Dutch zee = /zeː/
Practice Words:
- been /beːn/ - leg
- zee /zeː/ - sea
- twee /tweː/ - two
- steen /steːn/ - stone
- mee /meː/ - along/with
Common Error: Adding an “ee-y” glide at the end. Keep the sound steady.
3.5 The Long /iː/ Sound
Articulation:
- High-front vowel
- Similar to English “see”
- Lips spread
Practice Words:
- bier /biːr/ - beer
- dier /diːr/ - animal
- niet /niːt/ - not
- zien /ziːn/ - to see
- hier /hiːr/ - here
3.6 The Long /oː/ Sound
Articulation:
- Mid-back vowel
- Lips rounded
- Critical: Do NOT glide! English “go” = /goʊ/. Dutch zo = /zoː/
Practice Words:
- boot /boːt/ - boat
- rood /roːt/ - red
- groot /ɣroːt/ - big
- zoon /zoːn/ - son
- zo /zoː/ - so
Minimal Pairs:
- bot /bɔt/ (bone) vs. boot /boːt/ (boat)
- bos /bɔs/ (forest) vs. boos /boːs/ (angry)
3.7 The Long /yː/ Sound (Challenging!)
Articulation:
- High-front vowel with rounded lips
- Say “ee” but round your lips tightly
- This is the long version of /ʏ/
Practice Words:
- buur /byːr/ - neighbor
- uur /yːr/ - hour
- muur /myːr/ - wall
- duur /dyːr/ - expensive
- vuur /vyːr/ - fire
Minimal Pairs:
- put /pʏt/ (well) vs. puur /pyːr/ (pure)
3.8 The Long /øː/ Sound (Challenging!)
Articulation:
- Mid-front vowel with rounded lips
- Say “ay” but round your lips
- Tongue position of /eː/ with lip rounding of /oː/
Practice Words:
- neus /nøːs/ - nose
- keus /køːs/ - choice
- deur /døːr/ - door
- kleur /kløːr/ - color
- reus /røːs/ - giant
Practice Exercises
-
Length Contrast Drill:
- man - maan
- bon - boon
- vel - veel
-
No-Glide Practice: Record yourself saying zee, boot, zo, twee. Listen for any glide at the end. The vowel should remain steady throughout.
-
Rounded Front Vowel Practice:
- Start with ie /iː/, then round lips → uu /yː/
- Start with ee /eː/, then round lips → eu /øː/