The Long and Short of Dutch
After noun genders, the hardest part of Dutch for English speakers to learn are long vs. short vowels, particularly long vs. short 'a'. Fortunately there are several tricks that can help students easily master them too.
For starters, only long vs. short 'a' is really difficult. Double 'i' doesn't exist, double 'ee' is phonetically distinct, and double 'u' follows an easy rule- 'u's followed by 'r's are long, whereas 'u's followed by all other consonants are short. 'o's are more difficult, but they mostly follow rules so students can concentrate on learning just the exceptions to the rules. Moreoever, the appearance of 'oo' is relatively striking so 'oo' words are relatively easy to remember.
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Amazingly, English speakers at the time Columbus discovered America would have had no trouble with long vs. short a's! English speakers at that time pronounced them almost like Flemish speakers do today! During the hundred years following the discovery of the New World, the 'Great Vowel Shift' of the English language occurred and the pronunciation of 'a's (and also 'o's') evolved to what the pronunciation is today.
If there is a bright 'ee' or 'ie' in an English word that has a Dutch coganate with an 'ah'sound, the Dutch word will almost always have a long 'aa' sound. Examples include: faam-(fame), schaap-(sheep), and droom-(dream). The Scottisch variant of English, as well as the language Scots, have retained many of these pronunciations.
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| During the 'Great Vowel Shift' in England in the 1500s, long a's (and many o's) shifted from being pronounced like they are in Flemish, to being pronounced like they are in Modern English. |
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The second part of the "trick" of learning long vs. short 'a' is that the Vlaemsch dialect of Dutch that is spoken in the northwest corner of France spells 'aa' as 'ae'. If an English-speaking student initially adopts the Vlaemsch spelling for 'double a', not only is the long 'aa' sound much easier to remember due to the appearance of the word, there is quite often a tie-in to a modern English word which retained its old-fashioned spelling. For example: 'maal' (meal) Dutch, 'mael' Vlaemsch.
As soon as the student is sure he/she can remember an 'a/aa' sound is a long vowel, he/she can switch over to using the Standard Dutch 'aa' spelling- except in the case of verbs, and words made from verbs. These retain the 'ae' spelling.
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Which leaves just the long vs. short 'o's'. Fortunately there are a series of tricks that can help with these too.
1. Most neuter monosyllable nouns use the short version of 'o'. As a result, double-vowel 'oo' neuter nouns can be treated as 'rare' exceptions.
By learning just the rare 'oo' nouns, a student can master all the neuter nouns. This technique also works to a degree with common-gender monosyllable nous, however the ratio of short to long sounds isn't nearly as loopsided.
2. 'oo's' at the beginning of monosyllable nouns are almost always long. (The exception is 'ons'-(us and ounce)).
3. Final consonant-clusters of monosyllable nouns usually determine the length of preceeding 'o's:
a. o's before '-cht' are always short
b. o's before -st are almost always short.
c. o's before '-rt' are usually short
d. 'oo's' before '-rd' are almost always long.
Mnemonics to remember the exceptions are: a.'kroost troost'-(a comforting group of offspring), and b. 'bord record!' (a surfing record)
4. 'oo' vowels in nouns made from verbs that switch from an 'ie' sound in the present tense to an 'oo' sound in the past tense are usually long, for example: 'goot-(gutter) from 'giet'-present/ 'goot'-past-(to pour). The same is true for nouns made from verbs that have an 'uì' sound in the present and an 'oo' sound in the past, such as 'boog'-bow from 'buìg'-present/boog-past-(to bend).
Notes: Although 'oo' nouns are consistently linked to present-tense verbs with strong vowels, the past tense 'o's' of the verbs are often short.).
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5. If the final letter of a monosyllable singular noun shifts to '-v-' or '-z-' in the plural form, or in a multi-syllable verb related to the noun, the vowel of the noun is long. For example: doos(box)-dozen.
6. There is a strong tendency in Dutch to avoid homonyms, or words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings. So if you are sure that a particular noun has a short 'o' sound, a similar sounding noun that means something else will most likely have a long 'oo', and vice versa, such as zon-(sun) vs. zoon-(son). The most powerful trick to mastering 'o' vs. 'oo'vowel length is to memorize words with long and short vowels in pairs.
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7. If none of the other tricks works, an effective mnemonic for use with monosyllable long 'oo' nouns that end in a single consonant is to add '-o' to the end of the nouns, and then to double-up the resulting new words. The newly coined words can be considered to mean 'things duplicated or enhanced’, and are nicknamed "Double Dutch" words.
This works well because the consonants in multi-syllable variants of long 'oo' nouns are not doubled.. The repetitive appearance of the single consonants of the doubled-up-words, plus the assonance of the words, provide effective memory "hooks". An example is 'brodobrodo'-bread.
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| The 'Double Dutch' word for bread (brood) is 'brodobrodo' and means 'sandwich'. |
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'Double Dutch'
Neuter Monosyllable Nouns with Long 'aa's' and 'oo's'
Note: GVS stands for 'The Great Vowel Shift"
(Note: Not all long 'aa' and 'oo' nouns are included- list is in progress.)
brood-bread
-brodobrodo-(sandwich)
draad-(wire)- draed
-(Note: 'draed' is pronounced identically to 'draad'.)
gaas- gauze- gaes
-gaas vs. gas-(gas)
graan- grain- graen
-(a GVS- Great Vowel Shift- word)
haar- hair- haer
-(a GVS word)
jaar- year- jaer
-(a GVS word)
koor- chorus
-korokoro-(harmony)
kwaad- evil- kwaed
loof-(foliage)
-loof-(foliage) vs. lof-(praise)
loon-(salary/wages)
-lonolono(Christmas bonus)
maal-(meal)- mael
-(a GVS word)
-maal (vs. mal(craziness))
oog-eye
-'oo' at the beginning of a monosyllable noun
oor-(ear)
-'oo' at the beginning of a monosyllable noun
oord-(place)
-'oo' at the beginning of a monosyllable noun
paard-(horse)- paerd
-also, 'aa' before '-rd' is long
raam- frame- raem
-raam-(frame) vs. Ram-(Aries)
schaap-(sheep)- schaep
-(a GVS word)
-schaap vs. '-schap'-(-hood or -ship)
schroot-waste/junk
-schrotoschroto (non-recyclable waste)
spook-(spook)
-spokospoko (a vampire that can see itself in a mirror)
woord-(word)
- 'oo' before '-rd' is long
zwaard-(sword)- zwaerd
- 'aa' before '-rd' is long
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Common-gender Monosyllable Nouns with Long 'aa's' and 'oo's'
aak -(barge)-aek
aal- eel-ael
-(a GVS word)
-aal vs. al(everything- with an exceptional short initial 'a-')
aap-ape-aep
-(a GVS word)
aard-character-aerd
- 'aa' before '-rd' is long
aas- carrion
-aas(carrion) vs. as(axle-with the other exceptional short inital 'a-')
aas- Ace-aes
-(a GVS word)
baal-(bale)- bael
-baal vs bal(ball),
-(a GVS word)
baan- lane/road- baen
-baan vs. ban(excommunication)
baard-beard- baerd
-(a GVS word)
- 'aa' before '-rd' is long
baas-boss- baes
-plural 'bazen'
baat-(benefit/profit)- baet
-Modern English 'rebate' (a GVS word)
blaam- blame- blaem
-(a GVS word)
blaas-bladder (thing blown up)- blaes
-plural-blazen
boog-bend
-Present tense 'buìg' shifts to 'boog' in the past tense.
boom- tree
-boom vs. bom-(bomb)
boon-bean
-boon vs. bon(bill, receipt)
-(a GVS word)
boord-side
- 'oo' before '-rd' is long
-'boord' vs. 'bord'-board
boot- boat
-boot vs. bot(bone)
dood-death
-dodododo-(zombie)
doop- baptism
-doop vs. dop(shell)
doos- box
-doos vs. dos(attire)
-also plural-'dozen'
droom-dream
-dromodromo- revelation
-(a GVS word)
dwaas-fool- dwaes
-plural-dwazen
faam-fame- faem
-(a GVS word)
gaard-garden- gaerd
- 'aa' before '-rd' is long
goot-gutter-
-derived from the verb 'giet/goot'
graad-grade- graed
-(a GVS word)
graaf-Count or ditch- graef
-graaf vs. graf-(grave)
graat-fishbone- graet
-Modern English 'grate'(a GVS word)
haag-hedgerow- haeg
-Den Haag- Capitol of the Netherlands
haak-hook- haek
-haak vs. hak-(heel)
haal-stroke- hael
-haal vs. hal-(hall)
haan-cock/crane/hammer of a gun- haen
haard-hearth- haerd
- 'aa' before '-rd' is long
haas-hare- haes
-plural-hazen
-also assonance mnemonic- de Paas haas (Easter Bunny)
haast-haste- haest
-Mnemonic 'Haast naast Aalst!'-(Hurry by the Carnival Town of Aalst!)- the only exceptions to the rule that 'a' before '-st' is short.
haat-hate- haet
-(a GVS word)')
hoon-scorn
-Honohono- derision
hoop-hope
-hoop vs. hop(as in hops for making beer)
hoop-heap
-(a GVS word)
hoos-spout, as in windhoos-(whirlwind)
-plural-hozen, and also English 'hoses'
kaart-map or menu- kaert
-Mnemonic: de 'vaart kaart'-(mobile GPS navigation device). Two of the rare exceptions to the rule that 'a' before '-rt' is short.
kraal-bead- krael
kaap-(cape of land)- kaep
-(a GVS word)
-kaap vs. kap(hood)
kloof-cleft
-GVS Modern English 'cleave' and 'cleavage'
knaap-boy- knaep
-knaap vs. knap(pretty or nice)
knoop- knot
-knoop vs. knop(button/knob)
kook-boiling
-kook vs. kok-(cook)
kool-cabbage and coal
-kolokolo-(charcoal briquetes)
koon-cheek
-koon vs. kon-(could-verb)
koop- purchase
-koop vs. kop(head)
koord-cord
- 'oo' before '-rd' is long
kraag-collar- kraeg
kraam-booth- kraem
-kraam vs. kram-(clamp)
kraan- handle on a fawcet/crane- kraen
-(a GVS word)
kroon-crown
-kronokrono-Olympic symbol cluster of crowns
kwael- complaint/disease- kwael
-kwaal vs. kwal-(jellyfish)
lood-lead
-Assonance: loodzwaar-(very heavy)
loop- course/run
-Assonance pair- 'rode loper'-(red carpet)
loot-shoot(twig), offspring
-loot vs. lot(fate)
maag-stomach- maeg
-maag vs. mag-(may)
maak-manufacture- maek
-(a GVS word)
-maak vs. mak-(tame)
maas-mesh- maes
maat-measure- maet
-(a GVS word- meter)
-maat vs. mat(mat)
maat-buddy(English mate)- maet
-(a GVS word)
moord-murder
- 'oo' before '-rd' is long
moot-slice
-moot vs. mot(moth)
naad-seam- naed
-(a GVS word-linked to needle)
naaf-nave in a church- naef
-(a GVS word)
naam-name- naem
-(a GVS word)
nood-need
-(a GVS word)
noot-nut
-notonoto- (halves of a peanut)
oom-uncle
- 'oo' at the beginning of a monosyllable noun
paal-stick or pale- pael
-(a GVS word)
Paas-Easter- Paes
-Paas vs. pas-(step)
plaag-plague- plaeg
-(a GVS word)
plaat-plate- plaet
-(a GVS word)
plaats-place- plaets
-(a GVS word)
pool-pole
-pool vs. Pol-(common first name)
Pool-person from Poland
-the country name is Polen
poort-doorway
-Assonance: 'soort poort'-(Door to Noah's Ark) Two of the rare exceptions to the rule that 'o' before '-rt' is short.
poot-paw
-poot vs. pot-(pot)
praal-pomp- prael
praat-speech- praet
raad-advice- raed
-raad vs. rad-(wheel)
raap-turnip- raep
-(a GVS word) Modern English 'rape'
roof-robbery
-rover-robber (as in 'Red Rover')
rook-smoke
-rook vs. rok-(skirt)
room-cream
-room vs. Rom-(Rome)
roos- rose
-roos vs. ros(steed-type of horse)
schaal- shell- schael
-(a GVS word-scale)
schaam-shame- schaem
-(a GVS word)
schaar-scissors- schaer
school- it and spook are two rare 'freebies' that are identical in English
-scoop- suffix meaning 'to see', as in 'microscoop'-(theater). Also spelled '-skoop'
-scoposcopo-(pair of eyeglasses)
schroom-fear
-schromoschromo-(nightmare)
sjaal-scarf- sjael-
-sjalosjalo-scarf wrapped around the neck
slaaf-slave- slaef-
-(a GVS word)
slaag-blows- slaeg
-slaag vs. slag-(type) or (single blow)
slaap-sleep- slaep
-(a GVS word)
-slaap vs. slap-(slack)
sloot-ditch
-sloot vs. slot-(lock)
smaad-slander/libel- smaed
smaak-taste- smaek
soort-type, species
-Assonance: 'soort poort'-(Door to Noah's Ark) Two of the rare exceptions to the rule that 'o' before '-rt' is short.
staaf-rail/stick- staef
-(a GVS word)-Modern English 'stave'
staart-tail- staert
-staert vs. start-(start) Note: long 'aa' before '-rt' is quite rare.
staat-state- staet
-(a GVS word)
stoom-steam
-stoom vs. stom-(dumb)
-(a GVS word)
stoot-push
-stotostoto-reflex reaction
straal- ray- strael
strook-strip, streak
-(a GVS word)
stroom-stream/current
-(a GVS word)
stroop-sweet syrup
-stroop vs. strop-(rope)
taak-task- taek
-taek vs. tak-(branch)
taal-language- tael
-(a GVS word)-tale
-taal vs. tal-(number)
taart-cake.pastery- taert
-taart vs. tart-(tease or challenge) Note: long 'aa' before '-rt' is rare.
toom-bridle
-toom vs. Tom-(name)
toon-tone
-toon vs. ton-(barrel)
traan-tear- traen
troon-throne
-tronotrono-(two-seater outhouse)
troost-consolation
-Assonance- 'kroost is troost'- 'a big brood is a consolation'. Note: kroost and troost are the two exceptions to the rule that 'o's before -st are short.
vaart-speed, pace, navigation- vaert
-Assonance: de 'vaert kaert'-(mobile GPS navigation device) Note: long 'ae' before '-rt' is rare.
vlaag-weather burst- vlaeg
-vlaeg vs. vlag (flag)
vloot-fleet
-vloot vs. vlot-(raft)
vraag-question- vraeg
waag-scale- waeg
-The verb morphs from 'wieg'-present, to 'woog'-past
waan-craziness/delusion- waen
-waen vs. wan-(mis- or bad, as in wanbetaler- person who doesn't pay a bill)
waard-landlord- waerd
- 'aa' before '-rd' is long
zaag-saw- zaeg
-zaag vs. zag-(saw- verb)
zaak-business- zaek
-zaek vs. zak-(pocket)
zaal-room- zael
-zaal vs zal-(will verb)
zool-sole
-zolozolo-(insole of a shoe)
zoom-hem
-zomozomo-(double hem)
zoon-son
-zoon vs. zon-(sun)
zwaan-swan- zwaen
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| Zoot Steppes- University of California at Santa Cruz |
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