236 The Loom of Language
above and to know the peculiar spelling conventions of written Dutch
These are as follows
With the exception of Z, S, and G, Dutch consonant symbols have
values like the German ones Z sounds as in zebra., e g zoon (son) By
itself S stands for a sharp sibilant, like s in sin or this T he combination
SL e g in meisje (girl), is like sh in ship Except before R, the com-
bination SCH is pronounced 4 {- ch of Scotch loch or German ach
Otheiwise it is like s Thus SCHR -^ 6r, e g schnjven (write) Dutch G
stands for a weaker variety of ch in loch, In words of Latin or trench
origin T before IE is pionounced like sy e g natie (nation)
In syllables ending in a consonant, e g valien (fall), mes (knife), sok
(sock), the single vowel symbols A, E, and O are like their English
equivalents in what> pen, pot If A, E, and O end a syllable, as in vader
(father), zevcn (seven), boven (above), they have their vowel values in
rather > fete, nor The terminal -EN is pionounced like the final a in
banana Thus the final -n in the -en ol the verb plural and infinitive
(p 263) is a paper survival The single I, e g mndcn (find) is pro-
nounced as in our pit In syllables ending in a consonant, e g kus (kiss)
U resembles the u oi rust Otherwise U (or UU) is like the French u or
the German u
The double vowel symbols AA> e g in maan (moon), OO> e g, in oom
(uncle), EE, eg twee (two) arc respectively equal to ah^ oh^ chf The
combinations IE (equivalent to Y in word^s of foicign oiigm), e g m met
(not). El, c g in eindc (end), AU> c g in nauw (narrow) have the same
values as m German There is a group of combinations peculiar to
Dutch
(i) IJ, e,g myn (nay) near to i in/2/c;
(u) EU, e g deur (door) like the French cu or English u* o, e^ i m
fury worm, pert>Jir}
(111) OE, e g goed (good) near to oo mfaol$
(iv) OU, e.g. oud (old) near to the o in old,
(v) UI, e g hms (house) lather like oi m foil
The triple and quadruple groups are pronounced as follows;
AAI, e.g fraai (fine) Ixke^ mfly*
OOI, e g hooi (hay) like oy in boy*9
OEI, e.g. moeihjk (difficult) roughly 00-3; (as m boot and pity*)*,
EEUW, e g* Ueuw (hon) roughly ay-oo (as in tray and too) >
IEXJW, e*g. meuw* roughly ew in its English equivalent
Each of the Scandinavian dialects has words peculiar to itself, as
Scots Doric contains words which do not occur in the daily speech of
Kent or Kansas, The proportion of recognizably common or actually