GERMAN DICTION: OPEN and CLOSED VOWELS Closed = [E] Closest English Equivalent Is the Vowel-Sound in the English Word “Say T
GERMAN DICTION: OPEN AND CLOSED VOWELS (JW Baxter, 2009) Closed and open quite literally refer to a closed or open mouth! -and a high or low tongue-position. General rule: “h” following a vowel makes it CLOSED; a double consonant following a vowel makes it OPEN. Closed = [e] Closest English equivalent is the vowel-sound in the English word “say” or “day” (minus the diphthong), but more closely related in sound and position to “EE,” as in “seen”). German words: den, werden, er, der, Erde, Leben, mehr, erstehen, selig, Ehre, Meer Open = [ε ] Equivalent to the vowel sound in English “red.” German words: denn, Bett, Herr, Werke, erstehen, verlanget, hätte ---------------------- Closed = [i] Equivalent to the vowel-sound in English “seen” German words: wir, dir, ihren, ihnen, wieder, wider *Open = [I] Equivalent to the vowel-sound in English “sin” German words bin, hin, ist, Sinne, immer, Himmel *German words like “ich,” “mich” and “nicht” are technically open, but are best sung as a combination of open and closed (esp. if on a note of long duration). When these words are too open, the effect is that of dialect or colloquial speech (as in Berlin street-talk slang where “Ich” becomes “Igge” or “Ikke,” on in Vienna where “nicht” degenerates to “nix”). -------------------- Closed = [o] Equivalent to the vowel-sound in French “beau” (a Minnesota-style “o,” closer to “oo”) German words: so, tot, Sohn, loben *Open = [ɔ] Equivalent to the vowel-sound in English “cough” German words: Sonne, doppel, sollen, davon, folgen, verdorret *Exception to the
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