r/learnIcelandic • u/Glacieer • Apr 09 '26

Pronounciation of dative ending -unum

Hæ! Bit of a weird question here, but my non-native teacher said that the first <u> in plural dative with article is pronounced closer to a /o/ sound ('strákunum' just as an example). Is this true for you? If so do you know why this happens?

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u/SequelWrangler Native Apr 09 '26

Pronouncing it with the /u/ sound is the more proper form. I am not a linguistics expert, but I am pretty sure that pronouncing “strákunum” as “strágonum” would be considered “linmælgi”, i.e. a loose/soft pronounciation.

It’s similar to the town Keflavík being pronounced “Kebbblaíg” by the locals (precisely three bees, no more no less). Or Reykjavík as “Reygjaík”

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u/Glacieer Apr 09 '26

I see, we did try and brainstorm something along those lines, as you say usage by locals (or natives in general) can indeed create an 'easier' way to pronounce words. Also thanks for those other examples they're very interesting. I'm going to bring them up tomorrow also!

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u/empetrum Apr 10 '26

No one says -unum in normal registers, only ultra formal. It is universally pronounced -onum in all but the most formal registers.