12. Nov 2024
Ruben Schachtenhaufen
University of Copenhagen, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics
Vowelicious Ventures: Demystifying Danish Vowels
Abstract: 11, 20, 33, 42 or 49 vowels? The number of vowels in Danish varies wildly across different different descriptions of the language, often placing Danish at the top of lists of languages with the most vowels in the world. Furthermore, with examples such as [ʁɒɪɤɤɶɐɤɐ] røgede ørreder ‘smoked trouts’, Danish is sometimes described as an extremely vowel rich language, not only from a paradigmatic point of view, but also from a syntagmatic point of view. In my talk, I will discuss why Danish scholars can not seem to agree on how many and which vowels we have in Danish, what the "correct" number of vowels is, and I will address some of the popular myths about Danish vowel richness to check whether they can be confirmed or busted.