Foreign Languages
German alphabet and umlauts.
Definition
The German alphabet contains 26 standard letters plus three umlauted vowels (ä, ö, ü) and the ligature ß (Eszett or sharp S). Umlauts change the pronunciation of the base vowel and can alter the meaning of a word entirely.
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 The umlaut changes 'Mutter' (mother) to 'Mütter' (mothers), marking the plural.
- 2 ß is used after long vowels and diphthongs, as in 'Straße' (street).
- 3 'schön' (beautiful) uses ö, which sounds like the 'u' in the French word 'du'.
Key Fact
German umlauts: ä sounds like 'eh,' ö is made by shaping lips for 'o' while saying 'eh,' and ü is made by shaping lips for 'u' while saying 'ee.'