The Hague dialect

Last updated
The Hague dialect
Haags
Pronunciation[ɦaːχs]
Native to Netherlands
Region The Hague, Zoetermeer
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog None

The Hague dialect (Standard Dutch: Haags, het Haagse dialect; The Hague dialect: Haags, et Haagse dialek) is a dialect of Dutch mostly spoken in The Hague. It differs from Standard Dutch almost exclusively in pronunciation. [1] [2]

Contents

It has two subvarieties: [3] [ further explanation needed ]

Distribution

Districts of The Hague where The Hague dialect is spoken. Haags wijken.png
Districts of The Hague where The Hague dialect is spoken.
  1. Leyenburg
  2. Rustenburg en Oostbroek
  3. Morgenstond
  4. Bouwlust
  5. Vrederust
  6. Zuiderpark
  7. Moerwijk
  8. parts of Loosduinen
  9. Kraayenstein
  10. Houtwijk
  11. Waldeck
  12. Laakkwartier

Rijswijk and Voorburg are for the most part Haags-speaking.

Scheveningen has its own dialect ( Schevenings ), which is different than the traditional The Hague dialect. However, some people also speak The Hague dialect there, or a mixture between the Scheveningen dialect and The Hague dialect (Nieuw-Schevenings).

The dialect of Loosduinen (Loosduins) is very similar to The Hague dialect, and Ton Goeman classifies it as a separate dialect. [4] It differs from other varieties of Haags by having a diphthongal pronunciation of /ɛi/ and /ʌu/.

Some people also speak The Hague dialect in Zoetermeer. That is because an influx of people from The Hague to Zoetermeer took place in the 1960s, multiplying the population of the latter twelve times.

Spelling

Apart from Tilburg, The Hague is the only Dutch city with an official dialectal spelling, used e.g. in the Haagse Harry comic series written by Marnix Rueb. [5] [6]

Apart from that, The Hague dialect is rather rarely written. The Haagse Harry spelling works as follows:

PhonemeSpelling
StandardHaagse Harry
/eː/ee, e 1 ei
/eːr/eer, er 2
/øː/euui
/øːr/eur
/oː/oo, o 1 au
/oːr/oor, or 2
/ɛi̯/ei, ijè
/œy̯/uiùi
/ʌu̯/ou(w), au(w)âh/ah 3
/ər/er
/ən/enûh/uh/e, 3 en 4
^1 The second spelling is used before a syllable that starts with one consonant followed by a vowel.
^2 The second spelling is used before a syllable that starts with a vowel.
^3 The spellings âh and ah are in free variation, as the Haagse Harry spelling is inconsistent in this case. The same applies to ûh, uh and e. For consistency, this article will use only âh and e.
^4 /ən/ is written en only when the word in the standard language has a single stem that ends in -en. Thus, standard ik teken "I draw" is written ik teiken, but standard de teken "the ticks" is written de teike.

Phonology

The sound inventory of The Hague dialect is very similar to that of Standard Dutch.

Vowels

Monophthongs
Front Central Back
unrounded rounded unrounded
shortlongshortlongshortshortlong
Close i y u
Near-close ɪ ʏ
Mid ə
Open-mid ɛ ɛː œː ɔ
Open ɑ ɑː
Diphthongs
Ending point
Front Back
unrounded rounded rounded
Midøʏ

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar /
Uvular
Glottal
Nasal m n ( ɲ ) ŋ
Plosive /
Affricate
voiceless p t ( ) k ( ʔ )
voiced b d ( )( ɡ )
Fricative voiceless f s ( ɕ ) χ
voiced ( v ) z ( ʑ )( ʁ ) ɦ
Approximant ʋ l j
Trill ʀ

Realization of /ʀ/

  • According to Goeman & van de Velde (2001), the uvular articulation of /ʀ/ in The Hague dialect is often considered to be a French influence. [20]
  • According to Collins & Mees (2003), /ʀ/ in The Hague dialect is often uvular, with the fricative realizations [ χ ] and [ ʁ ] being more or less the norm. They also state that "elision of the final /ʀ/ is common". [21]
  • According to Sebregts (2014):
    • Alveolar realizations are practically non-existent. The only instances of alveolar /ʀ/ include an alveolar approximant [ ɹ ], a voiced alveolar trill [ r ] and a voiceless alveolar tap [ ɾ̥ ], all of which occurred only once. [22]
    • The sequences /χʀ/ (as in schrift) and /ʁʀ/ (as in gras) tend to coalesce to [χ] (schift[sχɪft], gas[χɑs]). [23]
    • A retroflex/bunched approximant [ ɻ ] is the most common realization of /ʀ/, occurring about 30% more often than the second common realizations (a uvular trill [ ʀ ] and a uvular approximant [ ʁ̞ ]), but it appears almost exclusively in the syllable coda. [24]
    • Preconsonantal /ʀ/ in the syllable coda (as in warm) can be followed by a schwa [ ə ] (warrem[ˈʋɑʀəm]). This is more common in older than younger speakers and more common in men than women. [25]
    • The stereotypical [ ɐ ] realization of the coda /ʀ/ occurs only in about 2% cases. This may signify either that it is dying out, or that it is simply found in varieties broader than the one investigated in Sebregts (2014). [23]
    • Other realizations include: a uvular fricative [ ʁ ], elision of /ʀ/, a uvular fricative trill [ ʀ̝ ], a palatal approximant [ j ], a mid front vowel [ ɛ ], as well as elision of /ʀ/ accompanied by a retraction of the following consonant. [22]

Vocabulary

The following list contains only a few examples.

Standard DutchThe Hague dialectEnglish translation
aanzienlijk anzienlek'considerable'
als as 'if, when'
BoekhorststraatBoekkogststraat(name of a street)
Den Haag De Haag 'The Hague'
dialect dialek'dialect'
LorentzpleinLorensplèn(name of a square)
Randstad Ranstad 'Randstad'
tenslotte teslotte'in the end'
verschillen veschille'differences, to differ'

Sample

Harry-spelling

Et Haags is et stasdialek dat doâh de âhtogtaune "volleksklasse" van De Haag wogt gesprauke. Et behoâht tot de Zùid-Hollandse dialekte.

Standard Dutch spelling

Het Haags is het stadsdialect dat door de autochtone "volksklasse" van Den Haag wordt gesproken. Het behoort tot de Zuid-Hollandse dialecten.

Translation

The Hague dialect is a city dialect that is spoken by the autochthonous working class of The Hague. It belongs to the South Hollandic dialects.

Phonetic transcription

[ətɦaːχsɪs‿ətstɑzdi.aɫɛkdɑ‿döːɐ̯ɑːtɔχtoʊ̯nəfɔɫəksklɑsəfɑ̃‿dəɦaːχʋɔχtχəspʀoʊ̯kə||əd‿bəhöːɐ̯‿tɔ‿dəzœːtɦɔɫɑ̃tsədi.aɫɛktə]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. Gooskens & van Bezooijen (2002), p. 180.
  2. van Bezooijen (2002), p. 16.
  3. Goeman (1999), p. 121.
  4. Goeman (1999).
  5. Goeman (1999), p. 122.
  6. "Harry's Haum Pogtal".
  7. Collins & Mees (2003), pp. 91, 131.
  8. Collins & Mees (2003), pp. 128, 136.
  9. Collins & Mees (2003), p. 92.
  10. Collins & Mees (2003), p. 133.
  11. 1 2 Collins & Mees (2003), pp. 128, 134–135.
  12. Collins & Mees (2003), pp. 109–110.
  13. Collins & Mees (2003), p. 134.
  14. Collins & Mees (2003), p. 48.
  15. Collins & Mees (2003), pp. 189–202.
  16. Collins & Mees (2003), p. 71.
  17. Collins & Mees (2003), pp. 191–192.
  18. Collins & Mees (2003), pp. 191, 193, 196–198.
  19. Collins & Mees (2003), pp. 191, 193, 196.
  20. Goeman & van de Velde (2001), p. 92.
  21. Collins & Mees (2003), p. 201.
  22. 1 2 Sebregts (2014), p. 116.
  23. 1 2 Sebregts (2014), p. 119.
  24. Sebregts (2014), pp. 116, 118–119.
  25. Sebregts (2014), pp. 117–120.

Bibliography

Further reading