/p,t,k,f,s,ʃ,χ/ may be voiced between sonorants.[4]
Word-final /p,t,k/ are sometimes voiced to [b,d,ɡ].[5]
Word-initially, the /t–k/ contrast is neutralized before /l/, which means that e.g. the word Kleid ('dress') can be pronounced as either [tleːt] or [kleːt].[6]
When a stop or fricative precedes, the sequences /əm,ən,əŋ,əl/ can be realized as syllabic consonants [m̩,n̩,ŋ̍,l̩]. The nasals appear depending on the place of articulation of the preceding consonant, so that it can be bilabial [m̩], dental [n̩], velar [ŋ̍] or uvular [ɴ̩].[3]
When another nasal precedes a syllabic nasal, such sequence is realized as a single consonant of variable length.[3]
Non-phonemic glottal stop [ʔ] is inserted in two cases:
Before word-initial vowels, even the unstressed ones.[3]
Before stressed syllable-initial vowels within words.[3]
The pharyngealized vowels correspond to the sequences of vowel + /r/ in the standard language.[8]
The non-native vowels are occasionally used in cognates of some Standard German words, such as brüder[ˈpʁyːtoˤ] ('brothers'). In other cases, they are pronounced the same as /ɪ,iː,ɛ,eː/.[9]
Unstressed short oral monophthongs may fall together as [ə].[7]
/ʊˤː,oˤː,ʌˤː,ɔˤː,aˤː/ are often diphthongal [ʊːɒ̯ˤ,oːɒ̯ˤ,ɪːɒ̯ˤ,ɔːɒ̯ˤ,ɛːɒ̯ˤ] in careful speech. Monophthongal realizations are optionally shortened in certain positions.[10]
Monophthongs are somewhat retracted when they precede dorsals, except /j/. The retraction is strongest before /χ,ʁ/. To a certain extent, this is also true of monophthongs that follow dorsal consonants.[9]
Monophthongs are allophonically pharyngealized if a vowel in the following syllable is pharyngealized.[9]
The phonetic quality of the monophthongs is as follows:
/iː,ʉː,ɵ,ɵː,ʊˤː/ are close to the canonical values of the corresponding IPA symbols [iː,ʉː,ɵ,ɵː,ʊˤː].[10]
Eines Tages haben sich der Nordwind und die Sonne gezankt, wer von den beiden denn nun der Stärkere ist, als ein Wanderer mit einem warmen Mantel an, vorbeikam.[11]
