u/LegalOwl2116

▲ 0 r/German

The same phenomenon appears to occur in the singular form. I very frequently hear Übung(K) realised with a voiceless stop (e.g. [k]) instead of the expected velar nasal [ŋ], even in relatively formal registers (e.g. on public broadcasters such as ZDF or ARD, including by highly educated speakers and media presenters like Wagenknecht, Maischberger). In such cases, the canonical [ŋ] seems to be replaced by a voiceless obstruent, reminiscent of the process of Auslautverhärtung (final devoicing). Some of the exceptions being Markus Lanz as a media presenter, but he was born in Südtirol and then he moved and studied in a Sprechakademie in Hamburg how to correctly pronounce in Hochdeustch , another being for example Cornelius Beck in perfekt Hochdeutsch sprechen in his Tübinger Hörakademie . They both pronounce consistently in all contexts "ng [ŋ], Gott sei Dank lol!

It remains unclear whether this should be analysed as a form of hypercorrection or as a misinterpretation/overgeneralisation of final devoicing patterns. This is somewhat unexpected, given that phonological representations are typically stabilised early in acquisition (i.e. during early childhood).

Alternatively, the phenomenon may be driven by perceptual factors (i.e. speakers reproducing what they believe they hear), dialectal influence, or articulatory difficulty. In particular, the production of the velar nasal [ŋ] may be less stable for some speakers, especially in complex phonotactic environments. From a learner perspective, this is also evident: in my case (given my L1 background), [ŋ] is not especially problematic in word-final position, but becomes more difficult when followed by another segment, particularly a vowel.

For example, in Finger, whose standard pronunciation in German is [ˈfɪŋɐ] (without a following [g] or [k]), I tend to produce a form closer to English /ˈfɪŋɡə/ with a hint of G , i.e. with a hint of G , in contrast to words like king /ˈkɪŋ/, where [ŋ] occurs in absolute final position and easier to pronounce for me .

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u/LegalOwl2116 — 22 days ago
▲ 5 r/German

Hey everyone,

I have a question about the pronunciation of the "ng" sound in German in different phonological contexts, and I'm finding slightly different versions between online pronunciation dictionaries (IPA) and some German teachers or phoneticians/linguists.

Is this only relevant in the case of a very formal speaking style (e.g., radio or TV moderation) and in highly standardized pronunciation, or is a reduced form used exclusively and always in natural speech and in fast everyday speech?

1. "ng" + -en (e.g., plural forms)

How is the sequence -ngen actually realized in practice?

Do variants like Anmeldungen [anˈmɛldʊŋən] or Übungen [ˈyːbʊŋən] as indicated in pronunciation dictionaries regularly apply with schwa [ə], or is a reduced form used exclusively and always in natural speech and in fast everyday speech (e.g., strong schwa reduction Übungen [ˈyːbʊŋn̩] without schwa and assimilation / gemination of the nasal)?

The question arises as to whether either an extended NG sound [ŋː] Übungen [ˈyːbʊŋː] or a sequence [ŋ] + [n̩] Übungen [ˈyːbʊŋn̩] is realized here.

2. "ng" before consonants (e.g., in compound words)

When "ng" is followed by a consonant sound (e.g., in longer compound words like Registrierungsformular [ʁeɡɪsˈtʁiːʁʊŋsˌfɔʁmuˌlaːʁ]), is the velar nasal ng [ŋ] usually/identically pronounced in natural speech and remains [ŋ], or does a change and sound adaptation occur almost like in final devoicing with "K": [ʁeɡɪsˈtʁiːʁʊŋksˌfɔʁmuˌlaːʁ] and does the "official" realization given in online pronunciation dictionaries hardly ever occur in practice? [ʁeɡɪsˈtʁiːʁʊŋsˌfɔʁmuˌlaːʁ]

Does the realization of the sound ng [ŋ] also change depending on whether the following consonant is voiceless (e.g., s [s], as in Registrierungsformular [ʁeɡɪsˈtʁiːʁʊŋsˌfɔʁmuˌlaːʁ]) or whether it is a voiced consonant instead?

I'm unsure to what extent the IPA form documented in online pronunciation dictionaries reflects actual everyday pronunciation or rather represents a standardized ideal form.

I would be very happy to receive a brief assessment of this.

Thank you very much!

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u/LegalOwl2116 — 23 days ago
▲ 0 r/German

Hi!Ich suche einen Logopäden oder einen klinischen Linguisten oder vom Bereich Radio/Theater/Sprechwissenschaft, um meinen Akzent im Deutschen zu reduzieren. Ich habe bereits IPA und Englisch-Linguistik-Phonetik-kenntnisse. Meine Muttersprache ist Italienisch. Ich würde mich über Hinweise oder Empfehlungen freuen. LG!

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u/LegalOwl2116 — 25 days ago