# Pronouncing German gutterals **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754 "2004-03-11T20:38:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NotSuitableforChildren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac8455/32.png) [@NotSuitableforChildren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotSuitableforChildren)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/1 "2004-03-11T20:38:59Z")
I am trying to learn German, but am having trouble pronouncing the German gutteral h, as in the word ich, acht and achtung. How do you pronounce this? Let’s look at ich, as it’s the most important word. I pronounce it eehk, but I’ve heard it pronounced itch (as in witch) in some places. I’ve also heard it pronounced ick. Which way is correct? Also, should you roll your tongue when saying the gutteral? Help would be appreciated. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/2 "2004-03-11T20:53:28Z")
The German “ch” sound is pronouced sort of like kh…its like the sound you make when you’re clearing your throat. If you can’t do it, you might be able to get away with making a k sound. German isn’t the only language to have the sound…so do Scottish, Hebrew, and Arabic (for example, “loch”, “hannukah” and “Caliph”) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/3 "2004-03-11T21:11:18Z")
First of all, it’s very important for you to realize that you’re dealing with **two different sounds** here. The “ch” in _ich_ **does not represent the same sound** as the “ch” in _ach_. “Gutteral” is not really a proper linguistic term, but accepting it as you’ve used it, the “ich” sound is not really gutteral. Technicall, it’s an **unvoiced palatal fricative**. If you’re finding it too difficult, realize that in some dialects of German, the “ch” in _ich_ is pronounced like the “sh” in English “sheep.” For an easier way out, just say “ish.” “Ach” on the other hand, uses an **unvoiced velar fricative** , which is further back in the mouth and may be termed “gutteral,” although I think that’s going a bit far. It’s not as far back as the French “R,” which is a voiced uvuar fricative. And the English “h” sound–an unvoiced glottal fricative–is even further back than that. Well, it’s kind of hard to describe sounds in writing. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/4 "2004-03-11T21:20:23Z")
(I meant “uvular,” of course) Hmm… Let me try to help some more. “Ach” is, as I said, a velar fricative. What does that mean? Well, English [k]and [g] are velar sounds. You want to articulate it in the same place as those sounds, but as a fricative. What’s a fricative? [f] [v] [T] (in “think”) [D] (in “that”) [s] [z] [S] (in “shush”) [Z] (in “measure”) and [h] are fricatives. Maybe that’ll help. “Ich” is palatal. The English “y” sound as in “young” is also a palatal sound. Try to make a fricative at that articulation point. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/5 "2004-03-11T21:51:34Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > What’s a fricative? [f] [v] [T] (in “think”) [D] (in “that”) [s] [z] [S] (in “shush”) [Z] (in “measure”) and [h] are fricatives. Maybe that’ll help. Note that most consonants are fricatives and they all have in common that the flow of air is never completely obstructed (and your nose is not involved.) For an example of the palatal (“ich”) _ch_ listen how _some_ English speakers pronounce the word “huge” with a consonant at the start. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/6 "2004-03-11T22:04:05Z")
Right. Fricatives are contrasted to plosives (also known as “stops”) – [p] \*\* [t] [d] [k] [g] – which are not made by continuous streams of air. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/7 "2004-03-11T22:51:44Z")
> [@kellner](#): > > For an example of the palatal (“ich”) _ch_ listen how _some_ English speakers pronounce the word “huge” with a consonant at the start. That’s a fascinating example; I never looked at it that way. I could never quite convince myself that the _h_ sound was a fricative, but your example is quite convincing, as it demonstrates the influence of the vowel that follows it. Doesn’t the same thing happen in German when [h] is followed by a front vowel? Actually I can’t think of how you could pronounce _huge_ without the palatal fricative, unless you drop it completely as in some British dialects, where it becomes “yuge”. ---
**Author:** ![NotSuitableforChildren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac8455/32.png) [@NotSuitableforChildren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotSuitableforChildren)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/8 "2004-03-11T23:18:59Z")
Ahh, thanks. I’m learning German out of a textbook, and without the aid of an instructor or audio tape it’s hard to get an idea of how it should be pronounced, even though the book writes it out phonetically. I’ll probably get some audio tapes to help me. ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/9 "2004-03-11T23:55:38Z")
There are examples of sounds [here](http://www.ling.hf.ntnu.no/ipa/full/ipachart_cons_pulm.html)… ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/10 "2004-03-12T00:03:46Z")
I’m definitely not an expert, but it was my understanding that some words (like “ich”) are pronounced somewhat differently depending on where the speaker is from (e.g. northern vs. southern Germany)—some pronounce “ich” so that it sounds almost like “ish,” while others pronounce it “ikh” (like “ach” but closer to the front of the mouth). ---
**Author:** ![twelvericepaddies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@twelvericepaddies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twelvericepaddies)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/11 "2004-03-12T00:49:11Z")
Jesseye Norman’s operatic Deustch is to die for - I knew her language coach many years ago and I admire him still today every time I hear Jesseye sing Wagner, and Mahler, etc. She starts with your 1st isssssssssssssssshh. Incidentally, it is very clear even tho it is sung and most recordings come with printed text you can follow along with. Actually, one of the greatest & most thrilling ways to practice a little German is to buy a great recording of Beethoven’s Ninth with text - I am not a singer, but I know that even I sing that (in absolute privacy) better than anybody - but the German is so nice to follow in the 9th! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/12 "2004-03-12T14:43:58Z")
While I love opera, I believe that singers are not good examples for learning proper pronunciation. Standard pronunciation for professional singers is often altered and different from standard pronunciation for speech. The “ish” pronunciation, as I noted before, is a pronunciation from particular regional dialects. It is not used in _Hochdeutsch_, which is considered the standard German dialect. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-german-gutterals/233754/13 "2004-03-12T15:01:47Z")
The _ich-laut_ is about as far from “gutteral” as can be imagined. It has quite a bit of regional variation, but it is always a “soft” sound. The US English “sh” can be close enough for tourist purposes, although the point of articulation of the proper sound is actually closer to the center of the tongue than to its tip. The _ach-laut_, on the other hand, is pronounced in the back of the mouth. It can be simulated by “extending” an English /k/ sound–just as the sound signified in English with “ch” (and in German with “tch”) can be seen as an “extended” /t/ sound.