# Icelandic: Pronunciation of "Skaftafell"



## Alxmrphi

Hi,

This summer I am volunteering in Iceland for 4 weeks and I want to get a grasp of the basics of the language such as common phrases etc, the place that I'm going to is called "Skaftafell" - I was wondering if it is said the same as an English person would say it?

I know 99% of Icelandic people speak fantastic English but I'd like to pick up a bit of it anyway.

Takk

- Alex.


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## biocrite

I would think it's pronounced as "Shkahf-Tah-Fèyll" is in English.

I dun'no.

Gaurav.


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## Bienvenidos

Hey Alex 

   I wasn't sure what your thread was about when I first opened it  I thought it was about pronunciation in general, so I got a little excited (pronunciation rules are fun! ) Maybe you could write "Icelandic: Pronunciation" in the title so dummies like me don't get confused.  I think a quick Google search would come up with great pronunciation/phrases, etc. I've used it before traveling a lot and the first few results usually are great. 

Saludos


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## Alxmrphi

I think I will do that! It's just I didn't see any for places, and I have to navigate halfway across Iceland by myself to get to it, so I thought incase it was said totally wrong, it might be, well let's say less than useful for me.

I'm sorry if I got your hopes up about pronunciation! - a weird forte indeed.
Hmm, I'll ask a mod if they can change it.

Saludos


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## Bienvenidos

Hey Alex,

   I found a great link for you:

http://www.iceland.is/history-and-culture/Language/

It has a lot of information! Hope it helps you out! 

 See you later


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## Alxmrphi

That_ is_ very helpful!

Gracias y hasta luego Bienvenidos.


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## Spectre scolaire

biocrite said:
			
		

> I would think it's pronounced as "Shkahf-Tah-Fèyll" is in English.


I thought final –ll in Icelandic would turn out as -[tl] in which the last element is unvoiced (like the phoneme in Welsh written with a double l), and the first one being preaspirated.


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## TarisWerewolf

Spectre scolaire said:


> I thought final –ll in Icelandic would turn out as -[tl] in which the last element is unvoiced (like the phoneme in Welsh written with a double l), and the first one being preaspirated.



The Welsh /ll/ phoneme isn't the same as the Icelandic. The Welsh is a voiceless alveolar lateral fricative. Similar to L but as a fricative (sort of like pronouncing H and L simultaneously). The Icelandic, as I understand it, is either like /tl/ or /dl/.

So Skaftafell would be /Skahf-tah-fehtl/ if I know my Icelandic rules right.


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## Spectre scolaire

TarisWerewolf said:
			
		

> *[s*kahf-tah-fehtl*]*


I see too much preaspiration here, but hopefully, some of our Icelandic friends could correct me. Would there indeed be preaspiration in front of a [t] if an [f] precedes it?! –cf the letters in red. The second one must be a English convention for a "long" a (and not a schwa).
 
To me this is intuitively wrong – but then, I am not from Iceland...

The Welsh example was chosen because I coudn’t find any better. You are right that this Welsh phoneme has a _double articulation_ (like the Czech ř or the Swedish sj in _sjö_, “lake”.


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## TarisWerewolf

Spectre scolaire said:


> I see too much preaspiration here, but hopefully, some of our Icelandic friends could correct me. Would there indeed be preaspiration in front of a [t] if an [f] precedes it?! –cf the letters in red. The second one must be a English convention for a "long" a (and not a schwa).
> 
> To me this is intuitively wrong – but then, I am not from Iceland...



You are right. It's my mistake. It's sort of a custom to indicate a "aaa" sound with "ah" in English. I totally forgot the Icelandic preaspiration. No, there wouldn't be any.


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