{"id":9378,"date":"2017-12-08T14:30:40","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T14:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=9378"},"modified":"2017-12-08T16:34:44","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T16:34:44","slug":"whats-up-with-those-hs-the-dehnungs-h","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/whats-up-with-those-hs-the-dehnungs-h\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s up with those h’s? The Dehnungs-h"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you studied German, you have probably come across irregularities that really make you wonder why they exist. As a German growing up with the language, I never really questioned it… Until I saw the\u00a0dehnungs-e<\/em><\/a>. For example, you write\u00a0Soest<\/em>, but you say\u00a0Soost<\/em>, so you elongate the\u00a0o\u00a0<\/em>and mute the\u00a0e<\/em>. Odd! Though when looking into it, I found that we do that with those\u00a0h<\/em>‘s too… What’s up with those\u00a0h<\/em>‘s?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dehnung<\/em>! (Stretching!) (Image by Emily Sea at Unsplash.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

Stretching vowels!<\/h2>\n

In German, the\u00a0dehnungs-h\u00a0<\/em>is quite common. It occurs in the middle of words to indicate that the vowel before it needs to be pronounced long. For example\u00a0Rahmen\u00a0<\/em>(frame) has a long\u00a0a<\/em>. However, in a word like\u00a0Namen\u00a0<\/em>(names), there is no\u00a0h<\/em>, even though the situation is exactly the same.\u00a0Rahmen\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0Ramen\u00a0<\/em>are pronounced the same way. So why that\u00a0dehnungs-h<\/em>?<\/p>\n

That is actually quite the mystery. There have been several studies on this, and none have been conclusive on why this\u00a0De<\/em>hnungs-h\u00a0<\/em>is there. One possible explanation is that in\u00a0Goethe’s days (around 1800), there was no united German writing style yet, and influential writes like him preferred the D<\/em>ehnungs-h<\/em> or not. This is where irregularity may have come in.<\/p>\n

Another explanation for the existence of the\u00a0Dehnungs-h\u00a0<\/em>is that it makes a word easier to pronounce. While without the\u00a0h<\/em>, the vowel would be long, inserting the\u00a0h\u00a0<\/em>emphasizes that fact. So for language learners, it can be a plus in terms of readability!<\/p>\n

T-regularity and other tips<\/h2>\n
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The T-regularity rule. (Image by by Drew Taylor at Unsplash.com, edited by the author)<\/p><\/div>\n

So when do you use the\u00a0Dehnungs-h<\/em>? Are there rules that explain all of the\u00a0Dehnungs-h\u00a0<\/em>placements? Not really. But there are some good rules to learn nonetheless.<\/p>\n

One clear rule is that a\u00a0Dehnungs-h\u00a0<\/em>will only be inserted between a vowel and an l, n, m or r. However, not in\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>words with a vowel followed by an l, n, m or r have a\u00a0Dehnungs<\/em>-h. Some examples:<\/p>\n

Zal<\/span> -> Zahl<\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(number)<\/p>\n

Fane<\/span> -> Fahne<\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(flag)<\/p>\n

Zam<\/span> -> Zahm<\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(tame)<\/p>\n

Faren<\/span> -> Fahren<\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(to drive)<\/p>\n

Of course, there are exceptions, such as\u00a0Name.<\/em><\/p>\n

Another clear rule is that there are no words in German that start with a\u00a0T\u00a0<\/em>that have a\u00a0Dehnungs-h, <\/em>the so-called\u00a0T-Regularit\u00e4t\u00a0<\/em>(T-regularity).\u00a0They may still contain an\u00a0h\u00a0<\/em>elsewhere where it is not strictly required. For example,\u00a0Theater\u00a0<\/em>(theater) still contains that\u00a0h<\/em>, even though\u00a0Teater\u00a0<\/em>would do: It is muted, too. Until 1901, many German words, especially very formal ones, used such a\u00a0Th<\/em>-construction. That was scrapped then: For example,\u00a0Thor\u00a0<\/em>(gate) was changed into\u00a0Tor<\/em>. In\u00a0Thron\u00a0<\/em>(throne) it was kept somehow, but other than that, a Th\u00a0<\/em>is now a clear sign that it is a foreign word adopted into the German language.<\/p>\n

One last rule I present here is that three words always have a\u00a0Dehnungs-h<\/em>:\u00a0Ohne\u00a0<\/em>(without),\u00a0mehr\u00a0<\/em>(more),\u00a0sehr\u00a0<\/em>(very).<\/p>\n

There are some more rules, but these are the most profound ones. If you want to read more on the subject, the\u00a0Dehnungs-h\u00a0<\/em>has a very extensive Wikipedia entry<\/a>, or read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Quite a stretch<\/h2>\n

The word De<\/em>hnungs-h\u00a0<\/em>is quite a stretch itself. It means “stretching-h”, but because the vowel would be pronounced long without the\u00a0h\u00a0<\/em>as well, it does not really have any vowel-stretching purpose. It is totally redundant for that purpose. It rather is just a mute\u00a0h<\/em> or\u00a0stummes h<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The fun\u00a0ironie\u00a0<\/em>(irony) here is that\u00a0the word\u00a0Dehnung\u00a0<\/em>itself contains a\u00a0Dehnungs-h<\/em>!<\/p>\n

What do you think? Keep this as irregular, but (at least to German speakers) familiar as it is? Or change it? And if so, how? Remove the\u00a0Dehnungs-h?\u00a0<\/em>Include it where it could be inserted? So, basically: Should we write\u00a0Nahmen\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0Denung?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

If you studied German, you have probably come across irregularities that really make you wonder why they exist. As a German growing up with the language, I never really questioned it… Until I saw the\u00a0dehnungs-e. For example, you write\u00a0Soest, but you say\u00a0Soost, so you elongate the\u00a0o\u00a0and mute the\u00a0e. Odd! Though when looking into it, I…<\/p>\n

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