# Is it true that people don't realize that K makes atleast two sounds in Scandinavian languages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 6, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187 "2024-02-06T15:13:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/1 "2024-02-06T15:13:57Z")
I looked at the phonology of Nordic languages, Norwegian, Swedish, Faroese, Icelandic and Danish. However, the letter K seems to represent bunch of different sounds. In Norwegian, hard K is like k in English and soft k is like the ch in German ich. There is also the Sh sound which occurs when K occurs between s and a front vowel. In Swedish, soft K is like the Sh sound but lighter though it’s pronounced as a lighter ch sound like Chinese Q but without aspiration in Finland Swedish. The sk digraph when occurs before a front vowel is pronounced like an Sh sound in the Finnish part of Swedish, though it’s phonetically [ɧ] Standard Swedish. In Faroese, hard K is like aspirated k and soft k is like aspirated ch sound and sk before front vowels is like an Sh sound. Finally, in Icelandic, soft K is like the Turkish soft K, same as the c in cube (like a ky sound, phonetically [c]) but with aspiration. However, looking around the internet, I don’t see a lot of resources that explain this variability of the letter K and its history. Is the reason for the variability of K in those languages obscure and unknown or is it the same palatalization thing (like with Latin g)? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/2 "2024-02-06T15:33:17Z")
If by “people” in your subject line you mean “most people whose native language is English,” then I would say probably yes. Arabic has a similar issue that I only found out about recently, and it explains why “Qatar” is spelled with a Q rather than a K (like Kuwait). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/3 "2024-02-06T15:38:19Z")
An amusing language glitch in Mali was the pronunciation of “k” as “ch” and vice-versa. So the word “kitchen” usually came out as similar to “chicken”, or at best “chitchen”. Fixing a leak in the chicken was always an amusing mental picture. ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/4 "2024-02-06T15:41:04Z")
What, pronouncing K as Ch? Why? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/5 "2024-02-06T15:42:28Z")
Why would the majority of the world care about such a thing or even have reason to use that knowledge? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/6 "2024-02-06T16:24:49Z")
> [@Jagraze1](#): > > What, pronouncing K as Ch? Why? Local languages, I’m guessing. Perhaps a hard K sound isn’t a thing in Bambara. ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/7 "2024-02-06T16:35:55Z")
And Azeri. In Azeri, K is used for the [c] sound though it often becomes a Norwegian soft K word initially. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/8 "2024-02-06T17:24:40Z")
Is it true that people don’t realise that Scandinavians speak English as a second language? I’m from England and have visited Norway, Sweden and Denmark - as well as meeting Finns and Icelanders. They all spoke English fluently (so the obscure topic of this thread never came up.) ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/9 "2024-02-06T17:40:19Z")
The reason is obviously because, English and the Scandinavian langs are verry similar in vocab, grammar, etc. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/10 "2024-02-06T17:54:02Z")
> [@Jagraze1](#): > > The reason is obviously because, English and the Scandinavian langs are verry similar in vocab, grammar, etc Well I can assure you that the Germans, Dutch and Belgians also have no problem speaking English. Perhaps it’s because in all these conutries that they are taught it in school? ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/11 "2024-02-06T17:55:15Z")
Obviously ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/12 "2024-02-06T18:13:16Z")
I remember talking to one of the local embassy guards in Stockholm. He told me he spoke six languages. But yeah, I never had a problem being understood in Europe unless I was in one of the SSRs back in the 80s/90s. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/13 "2024-02-06T18:18:13Z")
Not everyone, everywhere had English in school, though. Have you been to East Germany? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/14 "2024-02-06T18:18:44Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Why would the majority of the world care about such a thing or even have reason to use that knowledge? Yeah, I’m guessing the vast majority of the Earth’s population don’t think at all about Scandinavian languages nor how many sounds their “k” might make. I myself speak 2 languages well and another 4 to 6 “enough to get around”, but I’ve never thought about this because I’ve never had any reason to. It’s not a group of languages I’ve gotten around to learning. ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/15 "2024-02-06T18:19:36Z")
Maybe it’s because, the Scandi languages are not a widely spoken? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/16 "2024-02-06T18:21:10Z")
I mean, they’re not really a popular language for non-natives, so there’s no reason for the Average Human to care about their orthography and phonology. ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/17 "2024-02-06T18:37:49Z")
My bad! Please forgive me ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/18 "2024-02-06T19:16:56Z")
Edit: I’m with you. People speak English there anyway ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/19 "2024-02-06T19:35:08Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I’m from England and have visited Norway, Sweden and Denmark - as well as meeting Finns and Icelanders. > They all spoke English fluently (so the obscure topic of this thread never came up.) All Icelanders study English in school, and during my brief visit there I never met a single person who wasn’t fluent. They’re also supposed to learn to speak Danish (I’m guessing for both historical reasons, as well as a bridge to the other Scandinavian languages, since Icelandic is less mutually intelligible) but not nearly as many do. I asked my cab driver from the bus terminal and he shrugged and said they only need to take three years of Danish and most don’t stick with it any more. ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187/20 "2024-02-06T19:37:08Z")
Danes struggle to speak their language [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-people-dont-realize-that-k-makes-atleast-two-sounds-in-scandinavian-languages/997187.md?page=2)