# Norwegian: pronunciation of "-ige"



## Xander2024

Hello everyone,

I'm at a loss how to pronounce the plural ending "-ige". For example, the word "rolige" is transcribed in my grammar book as [ro:li], but the online translator (which is usuallyvery good at pronouncing Norwegian words) says [ro:liә]. I don't know which to trust. The same goes for "tidlige" - is it [ti:li] or [ti:liә]?

Takk.


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## NorwegianNYC

Hi! _Rolig_ and _tidlig_ are pronounced respectively: [ro:li] and [ti:dli] or [ti:li]. The plural and definite forms _rolige_ and _tidlige_ are pronounced [ro:liә] and [ti:dliә]. Final -e is never mute in Norwegian. It is also a matter of definition whether it is pronounced [ro:liә] or [ro:li:jә], and [ti:dliә] or [ti:dli:jә]


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## Xander2024

Thanks a lot for the help, Norwegian. So if you say that the final "e" is never mute, can the word "følgende" be pronounced as [følgnd]? This is what my grammar book says. The online translator however says [følgenә]. 

Takk igjen.


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## Tjahzi

Sorry if I'm nitpicking here, but wouldn't [ruːlɪ] be a more accurate transcription?


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## Xander2024

I'm a nitpicker myself  and I'm following the transcription in one of my grammar books, that is [å] for "å", [o] for "o" and  for "u". In my other books, however, they use the IPA. 

Tack.


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## TomTrussel

Xander2024 said:


> I'm a nitpicker myself  and I'm following the transcription in one of my grammar books, that is [å] for "å", [o] for "o" and  for "u". In my other books, however, they use the IPA.
> 
> Tack.




My main concern with it, is that it keeps indicating the ending e-sound is different than our mid-word e's, while it's usually the same sound, as for instance in "følgende", It's pronounced with a silent d, other than that, it's straight forward, and the two e sounds, are the same  If anything, it's the middle e's that are sometimes pronounced if they where spelled æ 

TT


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## Xander2024

Well, it's not the phonetic symbols that give me a hard time but the difference between what I see in one of my grammar books, in another and what I hear online. I'm using several sources og iblant er de motstridende.


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## NorwegianNYC

Xander2024 said:


> Thanks a lot for the help, Norwegian. So if you say that the final "e" is never mute, can the word "følgende" be pronounced as [følgnd]? This is what my grammar book says. The online translator however says [følgenә].
> 
> Takk igjen.



To answer the actual question: Final -e is never mute in Norwegian (except in certain dialects). _Følgende _is pronounced either [følgendә] or [følgenә]


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## NorwegianNYC

TomTrussel said:


> My main concern with it, is that it keeps indicating the ending e-sound is different than our mid-word e's, while it's usually the same sound, as for instance in "følgende", It's pronounced with a silent d, other than that, it's straight forward, and the two e sounds, are the same  If anything, it's the middle e's that are sometimes pronounced if they where spelled æ
> 
> TT



Hi TT

I do not think _følgende_ is necessarily pronounced without the penultimate -d. I actually think most people have some sort of d-sound (albeit weak) in front of the -e. The same with _tidlig_. I am pretty sure most Norwegian pronounce that word with a touch of -d (not -g).


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## TomTrussel

You're probably right, although I think maybe it splits right in the middle of Oslo, with the "tjukk L" phenomenon... at least to some extent. I maybe lazy, but I really don't pronounce the d in tidlig, and if I do in følgende, it's really really weak. On the west side of town it's a different matter entirely though...

TT


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## Xander2024

Tusen takk alle. More questions to follow.


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## NorwegianNYC

TomTrussel said:


> You're probably right, although I think maybe it splits right in the middle of Oslo, with the "tjukk L" phenomenon... at least to some extent. I maybe lazy, but I really don't pronounce the d in tidlig, and if I do in følgende, it's really really weak. On the west side of town it's a different matter entirely though...
> 
> TT



Everything is a different matter on that side of town... I also pronounce it with "tjukk l", I do not have a -d- in it either.


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