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Faroese orthography is the method employed to write the Faroese language, using a 29-letter Latin alphabet, although it does not include the letters C, Q, W, X and Z.
The Faroese alphabet consists of 29 letters derived from the Latin script:
Majuscule forms (also called uppercase or capital letters) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A | Á | B | D | Ð | E | F | G | H | I | Í | J | K | L | M | N | O | Ó | P | R | S | T | U | Ú | V | Y | Ý | Æ | Ø |
Minuscule forms (also called lowercase or small letters) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
a | á | b | d | ð | e | f | g | h | i | í | j | k | l | m | n | o | ó | p | r | s | t | u | ú | v | y | ý | æ | ø |
Letter | Name | IPA |
---|---|---|
Aa | fyrra a ("leading a") | [ˈfɪɹːaɛaː] |
Áá | á | [ɔaː] |
Bb | be | [peː] |
Dd | de | [teː] |
Ðð | edd | [ɛtː] |
Ee | e | [eː] |
Ff | eff | [ɛfː] |
Gg | ge | [keː] |
Hh | há | [hɔaː] |
Ii | fyrra i ("leading i") | [ˈfɪɹːaiː] |
Íí | fyrra í ("leading í") | [ˈfɪɹːaʊiː] |
Jj | jodd | [jɔtː] |
Kk | ká | [kʰɔaː] |
Ll | ell | [ɛlː] |
Mm | emm | [ɛmː] |
Nn | enn | [ɛnː] |
Oo | o | [oː] |
Óó | ó | [ɔuː] |
Pp | pe | [pʰeː] |
Rr | err | [ɛɹː] |
Ss | ess | [ɛsː] |
Tt | te | [tʰeː] |
Uu | u | [uː] |
Úú | ú | [ʉuː] |
Vv | ve | [veː] |
Yy | seinna i ("latter i") | [ˈsaiːtnaiː] |
Ýý | seinna í ("latter í") | [ˈsaiːtnaʊiː] |
Ææ | seinna a ("latter a") | [ˈsaiːtnaɛaː] |
Øø | ø | [øː] |
Obsolete letters | ||
Xx | eks | [ɛʰks] |
This section lists Faroese letters and letter combinations and their phonemic representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet. [1]
Faroese vowels may be either long or short, but this distinction is only relevant in stressed syllables: the only unstressed vowels (at least in native words) are [a,ɪ,ʊ]. The vowel length is determined by the number of consonants that follow the vowel: if there is only one consonant (i.e., CVCV or CVC# syllable structure), the vowel is long; if there are more than one (CVCCV), counting geminates and pre-aspirated stops as CC, the vowel is short. [2] In addition to long monophthongs, Faroese also has diphthongs, which are always long. There are, however, some exceptions to the vowel length rule: [3]
Grapheme | Sound (IPA) | Examples | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Short | Long | Before ⟨a, ða, ga⟩ | ||
a | [a] | [ɛaː] | [eː] | spakt[spakt] "calm (n)" spakur[ˈspɛaː(ʰ)kʊɹ] "calm (m)" |
á | [ɔ] | [ɔaː] | [oː] | vátt[vɔʰtː] "wet (n)" vátur[ˈvɔaːtʊɹ] "wet (m)" |
e | [ɛ] | [eː] | [iː~eː] | frekt[fɹɛʰkt] "greedy (n)" frekur[ˈfɹeːkʊɹ] "greedy (m)" |
i | [ɪ] | [iː] | lint[lɪn̥t] "soft (n)" linur[ˈliːnʊɹ] "soft (m)" | |
í | [ʊi] | [ʊiː] | hvítt[kfʊiʰtː] "white (n)" hvítur[ˈkfʊiːtʊɹ] "white (m)" | |
o | [ɔ] | [oː] | [uː~oː] | toldi[tʰɔltɪ] "endured" tola[ˈtʰoːla] "to endure" |
ó | [œ] | [ɔuː] | tómt[tʰœm̥t] "empty (n)" tómur[ˈtʰɔuːmʊɹ] "empty (m)" | |
u | [ʊ] | [uː] | gult[kʊl̥t] "yellow (n)" gulur[ˈkuːlʊɹ] "yellow (m)" | |
ú | [ʏ] | [ʉuː] | fúlt[fʏl̥t] "foul (n)" fúlur[ˈfʉuːlʊɹ] "foul (m)" | |
y | [ɪ] | [iː] | systir[ˈsɪstɪr̥] "sister" lykil[ˈliːcil] "key" | |
ý | [ʊi] | [ʊiː] | týskt[tʰʊiskt] "German (n)" týskur[ˈtʰʊiːskʊɹ] "German (m)" | |
æ | [a] | [ɛaː] | [eː] | mætt[maʰtː] "nice (n)" mætur[ˈmɛaːtʊɹ] "nice (m)" |
ø | [œ] | [øː] | høgt[hœkt] "high (n)" høgur[ˈhøːʋʊɹ] "high (m)" | |
ei | [ai] | [aiː] | feitt[faiʰtː] "fat (n)" feitur[ˈfaiːtʊɹ] "fat (m)" | |
ey | [ɛ] | [ɛiː] | deytt[tɛʰtː] "dead (n)" deyður[ˈteiːjʊɹ] "dead (m)" | |
oy | [ɔi] | [ɔiː] | gloymdi[ˈklɔiːmtɪ] "forgot" gloyma[ˈklɔiːma] "to forget" |
Grapheme | Phonetic realization ( IPA ) | Examples |
---|---|---|
b | [p] | bátur[ˈpɔaːʰtʊɹ] "boat" |
d | [t] | dýr[tiːɹ] "animal" |
dj | [t͡ʃ] | djúpur[ˈt͡ʃʉuːpʊɹ] "deep" |
ð | between vowels:
| |
other contexts:
| borð[poːɹ] "table" | |
f | [f] | fiskur[ˈfɪskʊɹ] "fish" |
ft | in the words aftan (adverb), aftur, eftir and lyfta:
| aftan[ˈatːan] "behind" |
other contexts:
| aftan[ˈaftan] "evening (before a saint's holiday)" | |
g | before e, i, í or ey, when not a loanword or pet name:
| gildi[ˈt͡ʃɪltɪ] "celebration" |
between vowels:
| ||
in the suffixes -igt, -ligt and -ugt (neuter forms):
| merkiligt[ˈmɛɹ̥kʰɪlɪʰt] "remarkable (n)" | |
before n, in past participles:
| slignir[ˈslɪtnɪɹ] "mown (m pl)" | |
other contexts:
| góður[ˈkɔuːwʊɹ] "good" | |
gj | [t͡ʃ] | gjógv[ˈt͡ʃɛkf] "ravine" |
h | [h] | hús[hʉuːs] "house" |
hj | before a vowel and two consonants:
| hjálp[jɔɬp] "help" |
other contexts:
| hjól[ˈt͡ʃʰɔuːl] "wheel" | |
hv | [kʰv] | hvalur[ˈkʰvɛaːlʊɹ] "whale" |
j | [j] | jól[jɔuːɬ] "Christmas" |
k | before e, i, í or ey, when not before a vowel or a loanword:
| kensla[ˈt͡ʃʰɛnsla] "feeling" |
other contexts:
| kongur[ˈkʰɔŋkʊɹ] "king" | |
kj | [t͡ʃʰ] | kjósa[ˈt͡ʃʰɔusa] "to choose" |
kk | before i
| politikkin[pʰolɪˈtɪt͡ʃːɪn] "the policy (acc)" |
other contexts:
| klokka[ˈkʰlɔkːa] "clock" | |
l | before a voiceless consonant, or word finally after a voiceless consonant:
| milt[ˈmɪɬt] "spleen" |
other contexts:
| linur[ˈliːnʊɹ] "soft" | |
ll | in a few words:
| bolli[ˈbɔlːɪ] "dumpling" |
other contexts:
| fjall[ˈfjat͡ɬ] "mountain" | |
m | [m] | maður[ˈmɛaːvʊɹ] "man" |
n | [n] | navn[naun] "name" |
ng | before e, i, í or ey:
| ungi[ˈʊɲt͡ʃɪ] "fledgling" |
other contexts:
| langur[ˈlɛŋkʊɹ] "long" | |
nk | before e, i, í or ey:
| bonki[ˈpɔɲ̊t͡ʃɪ] "bench (dat)" |
other contexts:
| banka[ˈpɛŋ̊ka] "to knock" | |
nj | [ɲ~nj] | |
nn | after diphthongs:
| seinni[ˈsaitnɪ] "later" |
other contexts:
| renna[ˈɹɛnːa] "to run" | |
p | [pʰ] | pípa[ˈpʰʊiːpa] "pipe" |
pp | [ʰp] | heppin[ˈhɛʰpɪn] "lucky" |
r | [ɹ~ɻ] | rógva[ˈɹɛɡva] "to row" |
s | [s] | síða[ˈsʊiːja] "page" |
sj | [ʃ] | sjálvur[ˈʃɔlvʊɹ] "self" |
sk | before e, i, í or ey, word initially:
| skip[ʃiːp] "ship" |
before e, i, í or ey, word internally:
| elski[ˈɛɬst͡ʃɪ] "I love" | |
other contexts:
| skúli[ˈskʉulɪ] "school" | |
skj | [ʃ] | skjótt[ʃœtː] "quickly" |
stj | [ʃ] | stjørna[ˈʃœtna] "star" |
t | [tʰ] | tá[tʰɔa] "toe" |
tj | [t͡ʃʰ] | tjóð[t͡ʃʰɔuːw] "people" |
tt | [tː~ʰt] | brott[ˈpɹɔtː] "away" |
v | before a voiceless consonant:
| skeivt[skaift] "wrong (n)" |
other contexts:
| vatn[vaʰtn̥] "water" |
Faroese avoids having a hiatus between two vowels by inserting a glide. Orthographically, this is shown in three ways:
Typically, the first vowel is long and in words with two syllables always stressed, while the second vowel is short and unstressed. In Faroese, short and unstressed vowels can only be /a,i,u/.
First vowel | Second vowel | Examples | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
i[ɪ] | u[ʊ] | a[a] | ||
i, y[iː] | [j] | [j] | [j] | sigið, siður, siga |
í, ý[ʊiː] | [j] | [j] | [j] | mígi, mígur, míga |
ey[ɛiː] | [j] | [j] | [j] | reyði, reyður, reyða |
ei[aiː] | [j] | [j] | [j] | reiði, reiður, reiða |
oy[ɔiː] | [j] | [j] | [j] | noyði, royður, royða |
u[uː] | [w] | [w] | [w] | suði, mugu, suða |
ó[ɔuː] | [w] | [w] | [w] | róði, róðu, Nóa |
ú[ʉuː] | [w] | [w] | [w] | búði, búðu, túa |
a, æ[ɛaː] | [j] | [v] | ∅ | ræði, æðu, glaða |
á[ɔaː] | [j] | [v] | ∅ | ráði, fáur, ráða |
e[eː] | [j] | [v] | ∅ | gleði, legu, gleða |
o[oː] | [j] | [v] | ∅ | togið, smogu, roða |
ø[øː] | [j] | [v] | ∅ | løgin, røðu, høgan |
The value of the glide is determined by the surrounding vowels: