But isn’t Norwegian tonal? I mean, sure, it’s only two tones, but I’m assured it’s a vital difference so you can tell the difference between bønner and bønder, but I haven’t been able to find a source which can explain it in such a way that I can actually hear the difference, let alone reproduce it.
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Context. I think the main clue is context. But yeah, there might be a slight difference in pronunciation that I can’t hear and native speakers aren’t even aware of.
ETA: saying the two words out loud to myself (like a madman) I would think the main difference is in the length of the n sound? Which then might also slightly modify the ø sound but not in a way I can explain. The longer n in bønder pushes the vowel further back in my mouth. But again: these are the musings of a non-native speaker.
ETA2: yeah, the more I say it to myself the more I see that the difference is in the n, not the ø. The modification of the vowel is just incidental to the different position you tongue needs to end up in for the pronunciation of the following consonant. It’s not even consonant length like I first thought: Basically bønner is just a straight up alveolar n. For bønder you slightly push back your tongue and curve it. You are getting ready to pronounce that d only you then don’t. But your tongue is in the position it would use for an “nd” sound
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Making this it’s own comment in the interest of readability.
I would argue that Danish very much relies on vowel tones but Norwegian, along with most Germanic languages, only in edge cases such as the one you mention.
But I think that doesn’t make any of them a tonal language in the linguistic sense of the word?
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Most of the references I’ve seen agree that the difference, while realised differently in different dialects and accents, is phonemic and forms minimal pairs, and consists mainly of characteristic pitch variations rather than of stress, voice, or articulation, so I believe the Single and Double Tones are linguistically tones.
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Only if you’re facing the bow and standing on the vessel
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This song has it all wrong!
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“… originally a school teaching Latin…”
Move over, Boston! Now B’klyn has its own Latin School.
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Well acccctttuuuaaalllly, it’s the insistence on “proper” grammar that functions as a system of control, not grammar itself.
(Do I get another pedantry badge yet? Pretty please?)
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Sadly, I believe that particular badge has been retired. Because the badge system is also a system of control.
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Chicago’s had one for over a century. I wonder how many others there are around the country?
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I have no idea. There can’t be many US schools that focus on a classical education (languages/Latin/history, etc.)
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Oh, wait, it’s just a school that teaches Latin? I was all excited to see a school that teaches in Latin. My school taught me Latin and it was a rinky-dink provincial back water school.
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Is NOTHING sacred!!
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