The "a" sounds like the "a" in English words such as "father" or "mach" as in mach speed.
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
datt, fatt, vass, hatt, glatt, vatt, an, am.
The "e" sounds like the "e" in English words such as "get" or "set."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
bett, gevva, geld, vesha, maydel, bukkel.
The "i" sounds like the "i" in English words such as "fit" or "big."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
Bivvel, pikk, bisht, biss, ich, grohsi.
The "o" sounds like the "o" in English words such as "of" or "love."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
Gott, hott, shtobb, kobb, lossa, globba.
The "u" sounds like the "u" in the English word "put."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
hund, mukk, sunn, butza, dutt, shund.
The "ae" sounds like the "a" in English words such as "rat" or "clap."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
daett, maemm, shnaebb, shlaebba.
The "ay" sounds like the "ay" in English words such as "hay" or "day."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
gays, flaysh, kays, ayl, dray, sayna.
The "ee" sounds like the "ee" in English words such as "feet" or "heel."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
kee, beebli, fees, veetz, dreeb, shteel.
The "eiy" sounds like the "ei" in English words such as "height" or "feisty."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
feiyah, meiya, sheiyah, heiayahra.
The "oh" sounds like the "oh" in English words such as "Kohls" or "coherent."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
shohf, broht, roht, bloh, shlohfa, nohch.
The "au" sounds like the "au" in English words such as "laundry" or "author."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
gaul, drauva, graut, haut, naus, haus.
The "aw" sounds like the "aw" in English words such as "law" or "claw."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
haws, glaws, naws, graws, brawf.
One of the differences between Eastern Pennsylvania German and Western Pennsylvania German is the way the vowel "ei" is pronounced.
In Eastern Pennsylvania German, "ei" sounds the same as "eiy."
In Western Pennsylvania German, the "ei" sounds like the "ei" in English words such as "their" or "heir."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
Deitsh, drei, heit, leit, sei, bei.
The "oo" sounds like the "oo" in English words such as "moon" or "spoon."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
koo, shtool, goot, hoot, bloot.
The "oi" sounds like the "oi" in English words such as "join" or "void."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
oi, hoi, boi, froiya, groiya.
These vowel glides don't have an English equivalent, but rather, are a combination of two English sounds.
The "eah" sound combines ă and ah.
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
sheah, beah, deah, leah, eah.
The "iah" sound combines ē and ah.
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
miah, biah, diah, fiah, broviah.
The "oah" sound combines ō and ah.
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
boaht, voahm, goahra, oah, voah.
The "uah" sound combines oo and ah.
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
fuah, shuah, shnuah, naduah, uah.
The "a" ending sounds like the "a" ending in English words such as "Florida" or "China."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
lanna, shpringa, gukka, havva, nohma.
The "ah" ending sounds like the "ah" in English words such as "ahh" or the aw in "awl."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
lannah, vassah, bessah, havvah, viddah.
The "ch" sounds like the "h" in English words with extra air.
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
mach, sach, ich, mich, dach, sich.
The "ng" sounds like the "ng" in English words such as "song" or "ring."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
shpringa, fanga, langa, shlang.
In Eastern Pennsylvania German every "r" sounds like the "r" in English.
In Western Pennsylvania German only an "r" at the beginning or end of a word sounds like the "r" in English.
Any "r" in the the middle of a word is rolled like a Spanish "r."
If you have a hard time rolling your "r" it sounds similar to an English "d."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
goahra, veahra, fiahra, keahra.
The "tsh" sounds like the "ch" in English words such as "child" or "chin."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
Deitsh, hutsh, tshumba, vatsha.
The "z" sounds like the "z" in English words such as "pizza" or "pretzel."
It is used in Pennsylvania German words like:
katz, zvay, zeit, butza, zung, zebb.
