How to Pronounce Anlaut in 2023 🎙️

ANLAUT - Speak like a pro: How to say Anlaut in 2023

In linguistics, anlaut refers to the initial sound of a word, specifically the first sound of the first syllable.
It is also known as the initial consonant or the onset.
The anlaut sets the stage for the rest of the word, and different languages have different rules and patterns governing the type of sounds that can appear as anlauts.
Understanding anlauts is crucial in phonetics and phonology to analyze the phonological structure of words.

Pronunciation:
To pronounce 'anlaut', you can break it down into syllables: 'an-laut'.
In the first syllable, 'an', the sound 'a' is similar to the 'a' in 'cat' or 'sat'.
The 'n' sound is a nasal sound, like the 'n' in 'nice' or 'nose'.
In the second syllable, 'laut', the 'l' sound is produced by placing the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge and letting air pass along the sides of the tongue.
The 'au' sound is similar to the 'ow' in 'cow' or 'how'.
The 't' sound is a voiceless alveolar plosive, produced by obstructing airflow at the alveolar ridge with the tip of the tongue and then releasing it.

Test yourself by speaking the following examples:
1. The anlaut of the word 'sun' is the 's' sound
2. In English, the words 'talk', 'dog', and 'play' all have different anlauts
3. German allows words with multiple anlauts in a single syllable, such as 'Strand' (beach)

Last updated: September, 2023