Regional Pronunciation

Level 6

Most speakers say bátur with a soft t, stelpa with a whispered l and hvað as kvað. In the north you will hear a hard t in bátur, often a voiced l in stelpa, and in the south sometimes a breathy hv.

How It Works

The pronunciation described in the sound entries is the most common one. These are the regional features you are most likely to hear:

  • Harðmæli (hard speech). Most speakers say p, t and k after a long vowel softly, close to b, d and g: tapa, bátur, taka. In the north, many speakers say them with a puff of air, as at the start of a word. This is the best-known regional feature. See pre-aspiration for the different breath before pp, tt and kk.
  • Voiced l, m, n. Before p, t and k, most speakers say l, m and n without voice, almost like a whisper: stelpa, hempa, vantar. In parts of the north, especially around Eyjafjörður and in the northeast, some speakers keep full voice. The same speakers also voice ð before k: maðkur.
  • hv. Most speakers say hv as kv. Some speakers in the south keep an older breathy sound, but this is becoming rare.
  • Plain vowels before ng and nk. Most speakers change a vowel before ng and nk: langur sounds like lángur. See vowels before ng and nk. In the Westfjords, some speakers keep a plain vowel.
  • rl and rn. Most speakers say barn as badn and varla as vadla. See ll nn rl rn. In the southeast, around Hornafjörður, some speakers say r plus n or l as written.
  • Single vowels before gi. In the Skaftafell area in the southeast, some speakers say lögin (the laws) differently from laugin (the pool). Most speakers say both the same.
  • Hard b and g before ð. Some older speakers in the north say hafði and sagði with a hard b and g, close to hapði and sakði. This is disappearing.

Words, too. A few words are regional. A smoked sausage is usually a bjúga, but in the north many people call it a sperðill.

Spelling does not change. Whatever a speaker's accent, everyone writes bátur, stelpa, hvað, langur, barn and sagði. Write the standard spelling, not the sound.

Examples (6)

  1. Báturinn kemur á morgun.

    The boat is coming tomorrow.

    Word by Word: The-boat comes on morning.

    In the north, many speakers say the t in báturinn with a puff of air. Most others say it softly, close to d.

  2. Stelpan er úti að leika sér.

    The girl is outside playing.

    Word by Word: The-girl is outside to play herself.

    Most speakers whisper the l in stelpan. Around Eyjafjörður, some keep it fully voiced.

  3. Hvað segirðu gott?

    How are you doing?

    Word by Word: What say-you good?

    Most speakers say kvað. Some speakers in the south keep a breathy hv.

  4. Þetta var langur dagur.

    That was a long day.

    Word by Word: This was long day.

    Most speakers say the a in langur like á. In the Westfjords, some keep a plain a.

  5. Barnið er sofnað.

    The child has fallen asleep.

    Word by Word: The-child is fallen-asleep.

    Most speakers say barnið with a d sound: badnið. Around Hornafjörður, some say the r and n as written.

  6. Hún sagði ekki neitt.

    She didn't say anything.

    Word by Word: She said not anything.

    Some older speakers in the north say gð here with a hard g, close to sakði.

Common Mistakes

  • Spelling the vowel the way it sounds before ng.

    Þetta var lángur dagur.
    Þetta var langur dagur.

    Most speakers say the a like á, but the word is always written with a.

  • Spelling rn the way it sounds.

    Badnið er sofnað.
    Barnið er sofnað.

    Most speakers say a d sound in barn, but the word is always written with rn.

How It Connects

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Regional PronunciationLevel 6

Learn This First

Regional pronunciation builds on hv and pre-aspiration.