German Pronunciation & Accents
(Geo-social Applications of the Natural Phonetics & Tonetics Method)
Luciano Canepari
University of Venice
This book applies the principles of Natural Phonetics & Tonetics to describe the pronunciation of German, including intonation, in a precise way never found in earlier treatises. It includes an introduction to the Natural Phonotonetics Method, which can be used for any other language, as well (without the sadly known limitations of official IPA).
The vowels, consonants, structures, and intonation of German are fully described and transcribed, with many examples of words, sentences, and conversations, in addition to the intonationally integrated IPA sample passage ‘The North Wind and the Sun’ and a poem. A chapter gives more than 300 reduced forms (or ‘weak forms’), with several gradations and examples.
Different types of German pronunciation are fully described, starting with 5 for Germany: international, neutral, traditional, mediatic and North-east. Then, the neutral, mediatic and broad pronunciations currently used in Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol are extensively treated.
Three more chapters describe (with 5 clear phonic maps) the 34 regional accents found in: Germany (18), Austria (9) and Switzerland (7), followed by those in Liechtenstein, Alsace, Lorraine, Luxemburg and Eastern Wallonia (Belgium). Other chapters provide more than 10 traditional dialects, 17 foreign accents of German, and 6 diachronic stages.
A mini-phono-dictionary contains more than 2200 words and proper names usually puzzling and challenging especially for foreigners.
ISBN 9783862885626 (Hardcover). LINCOM Studies Phonetics 12. 370pp. 2014.
