Hard and soft G in Dutch


Hard and soft G in Dutch refers to a phonological phenomenon of the pronunciation of the letters and and also a major isogloss within that language.
In northern dialects of Dutch, the letters represent velar or uvular fricatives, the so-called hard G.
However, in most northern dialects, the distinction is no longer made, with both sounds pronounced as or. In those dialects that merge and, it is still possible for some speakers to pronounce as intervocallically.
In many southern dialects of Dutch, and represent front-velar fricatives, the so-called soft G.

Pronunciation

Overview

Geographical distribution

The hard is used primarily in the northern part of the Dutch language area in Europe:
The soft is used primarily in the southern part of the Dutch language area in Europe: