Word-initially, the /t–k/ contrast is neutralized before /l/, which means that e.g. the word Kleid ('dress') can be pronounced as either [tleːt] or [kleːt].[2]
Stops and fricatives are voiceless, whereas nasals and approximants are voiced.[3]
/ʁ/ occurs only in onsets, and it has few possible pronunciations, which are in free variation with one another:[4]
Unstressed /ɪ,ɛ,ɵ,ɞ,ʌ/ may all be reduced to [ə].[6]
The pharyngealized vowels correspond to the sequences of vowel + /r/ in the standard language.[7]
In cognates of some Standard German words, speakers fluent in Standard German occasionally produce [yː,ʏ,øː,œ], which contrast with /iː,ɪ,eː,ɛ/ as well as /ʉː,ɵ,ɵː,ɞ/, for instance Brüder[ˈpʁyːtoˤ] 'brothers'. In other cases, they are pronounced the same as /iː,ɪ,eː,ɛ/.[8]
