Plautdietsch phonetics

Mennonite Low German has many sounds, including a few not found in other varieties of Low German.

Consonants
Where symbols for consonants occur in pairs, the left represents the voiceless consonant and the right represents the voiced consonant. Observations: According to the spelling system of De Bibel these sounds are spelled as follows:


 * 1) $\langlekj\rangle$ and $\langlegj\rangle$ as in Kjoakj ('church') and Brigj ('bridge')
 * 2) no letter, but has to be used if a word that begins with a vowel or a prefix is added to a word which by itself starts with a vowel: ve'achten (to despise)
 * 3) $\langlenj\rangle$ as in Kjinja ('children')
 * 4) $\langleng\rangle$ as in Hunga ('hunger')
 * 5)  could be written $\langlef\rangle$ or $\langlev\rangle$: Fada ('male cousin'), Voda ('father'). The only criteria is the spelling of these words in German.  is spelled $\langlew\rangle$ as in German: Wota ('water')
 * 6) at the beginning of a word and between vowels  is written $\langles\rangle$: sajen ('to say'), läsen ('to read'). The  sound is written $\langlez\rangle$ at the beginning of a word (where some speakers pronounce it ), $\langless\rangle$ between vowels and final after a short vowel: Zocka ('sugar'), waussen ('to grow'), Oss ('ox'). At the end of a word after a long vowel or consonant both are written $\langles\rangle$, the reader has to know the word to pronounce the correct sound: Hos  ('rabbit'), Os  ('carrion'). The combination of a short  and a voiced $\langles\rangle$ adds still more confusion to this, as in the word Kos  ('goat').
 * 7) $\langlesch\rangle$ and $\langlezh\rangle$ as in School ('school') and ruzhen ('rush'). $\langlesp\rangle$ and $\langlest\rangle$ represent  and  at the beginning of a word and if a prefix is attached to a word starting with $\langlesp\rangle$ or $\langlest\rangle$: spälen ('to play') bestalen ('to order').
 * 8) $\langlej\rangle$ as in Joa ('year'). The  sound is written $\langlech\rangle$ after consonants, $\langlee\rangle$, $\langlei\rangle$ and $\langleäa\rangle$: Erfolch ('success'), Jesecht ('face'), Jewicht ('weight'), läach ('low'). After $\langlea\rangle$, it is written $\langlejch\rangle$ to differentiate it from : rajcht ('right')
 * 9)  is written $\langlech\rangle$, only occurs after back vowels: Dach ('day'), Loch ('hole').  (an allophone of ) is rendered $\langleg\rangle$ between vowels and final: froagen ('to ask'), vondoag ('today'). At the beginning of a word and before consonants, g has the  sound.
 * 10) $\langler\rangle$ is a flap (like the Spanish r), or depending on the person, even a trill (like Spanish $\langlerr\rangle$), before vowels: root ('red'), groot ('big'), Liera ('teacher');  pronounced as an approximant (English r) before a consonant, at the end and in the -ren endings of Old Colony speakers: kort ('short'), ar ('her'), hieren ('to hear'). The uvular German r  is not heard in Plautdietsch.
 * 11)  is an allophone of  that occurs after vowels in words like Baul and well.

Vowels
The vowel inventory of Plautdietsch is large, with 13 simple vowels, 10 diphthongs and 1 thriphthong.


 * 1)  is rounded and is heard only in the Old Colony and Bergthal groups.
 * 2)  is an allophone of  preceding an  or a palatal consonant.

The sound has been shifted to  in the Old Colony dialect, leaving the sound only as part of the ua diphthong. However, in certain areas and age groups, there is a heavy tendency to shift sound up to.

Pronunciation of certain vowels and diphthongs vary from some speakers to others; the diphthong represented by ee for instances is pronounced or even  by some. Likewise the long vowels represented by au and ei might have a diphthong glide into and, respectively.
 * English sound equivalents are approximate. Long vowels ä and o do not have a diphthong glide.