German Pronunciation

In many respects, German is a very easy language to pronounce for speakers of English. It, like Italian, is commonly said to be a “phonetic” language; that is, for each letter there are normally no more than one or two pronunciations and for each pronunciation there are usually no more than one or two spellings. Even when there are two pronunciations for a single letter, the singer will be relieved to find that German is a language of order. Rules are rules, and one abides by them with relatively few exceptions.

The many aspirate consonants, the use of the glottal stop, and the uvular –r heard in the conversational language often gives rise to the misconception that German is a guttural language. This is an unfortunate misconception. Such an approach to the language can be disastrous to good vocal production, and further, it will not lead to good German diction. Indeed, proper pronunciation of German requires bright and forward vowels, projected by “forward moving” consonants. Students of German diction are fortunate in having at their disposal a definitive reference work, Deutsche Hochsprache by Theodore Siebs. Intended for the use by professional actors, singers, and announcers, Siebs provides IPA transcriptions of most German and foreign words and proper names commonly used in the German language. Rules presented here are those for stage German.

The pronunciation rules and guides used in the following outline are based on "Hoch Deutsch" (High German) practice rules. These rules originated in the court of the House of Hannover. They are the accepted sounds of the German Language which one hears in the theatre or on television. They do not represent the many different dialects, which are spoken throughout Germany. There is only one noticeable difference between spoken and sung German today and that is, spoken "Hoch Deutsch"does not roll or flip the "r" as strongly. Sung German must include the flipped "r". It may also be rolled or "trilled" for dramatic effect.

When the letter "e" is unstressed, it is pronounced with an indefinite vowel color. The IPA symbol for the sound is the schwa [ə]. Noted authorities (Langenscheit, Duden) consistently use this symbol in all unstressed and secondary stress placements. Practice however, does at times open the "e" to an [ɛ]. Registration function for the particular singers may also open the vowel somewhat. If it is necessary to modify the "schwa" color, one should avoid singing an [a], or [ɑ], as this is not at all typical of the native German sound.

German Pronunciation Video 1:

The German Consonants and the IPA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzrLZi6fipA

German Pronunciation Video 2:

The German Vowels and the IPA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEHfUKJ_yms

German Pronunciation Video 3:

The German Spelling System

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg2NMEONKxk

4 STEPS TO FLUENCY

Here is a neat webpage with German pronunciation that has every IPA sound with audio!

http://www.4stepstofluency.com/german-pronunciation/

And just a few contemporary videos for your viewing pleasure :)