Hi, I have a question about the Norwegian pronunciation of the letter "l", because sometimes I hear that it's similar to "r"; like sometimes I hear "sol" being pronounced as "sor", or "blod" as "brod" (I think it's called tjukk/tykk l), are there rules for this? Thanks :)
“Tykk/tjukk L” appears in some Norwegian dialects (mostly northern and eastern ones), but it can be quite hard to pronounce if you haven’t been taught it from a young age, so I’d suggest sticking to the “normal” L if you find it challenging (pronouncing the “tjukk L” wrong can end up sounding very odd, and while using the “normal” L might sound “too pretty” and slightly “posh”, it’s definitely easier, and I personally think it sounds way better when you use the “normal” L as opposed to pronouncing the “tjukk L” wrong). However, here are some basic rules if you’re interested in the “tjukk L”!! c:
How: Bend your tongue up and backwards, and then quickly flick it forwards (it’s not actually and “L”-sound at all, but a retroflex sound)
When: Whenever a word with Old Norse roots was spelled with either “l” or “rð” (which is a pretty impossible rule to follow unless you’re studying Old Norse, but it’s basically 95% of modern words that has the “rd”-combo aaand some random “l”’s here and there)
- Dal, Ola, Sol, Blod- Gard, Ferdig, Hard, Jord
Never: When a word starts with “L”.
But again, it really depends on the dialect in question!! My friend lives 20 min away from Oslo and has a veryyyy prominent “tjukk L” in her dialect, but her other friend from the western part of Oslo (the “posher” side) always uses the “normal” L.