Harunan
elvish
Swedish, a North Germanic language, has a relatively rich vowel system and a distinctive prosody. Here are some key features:
Vowel System: Swedish has 9 vowel phonemes, which can be divided into long and short vowels. The vowel inventory includes:
Front vowels: /iː, yː, eː, øː, ɛː, œː/
Back vowels: /uː, oː, åː/
Central vowels: /aː, ɑː/ Swedish also has a contrast between long and short vowels, where vowel length can change the meaning of words.
Consonant System: Swedish has a relatively simple consonant system compared to some other languages, with a few notable features:
The presence of retroflex sounds: /ʂ/ (like the "sh" sound) and /ɖ/ (a retroflex "d" sound).
Voicing contrasts: Voiceless sounds are common at the start of words, and voiced ones often appear in the middle or end.
Syllable-timed stress: Stress usually falls on the first syllable of the word, and Swedish is considered a "pitch accent" language, which means pitch can be used to distinguish between words (e.g., anden with a rising pitch means "the duck," while anden with a falling pitch means "the spirit").
Intonation: Swedish has two pitch accents: Accent 1 and Accent 2. Accent 1 involves a single pitch contour, while Accent 2 has a more complex, rising-falling pattern.
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