The terms “Narrow” and “Wide” refer to the shape of the tongue. “In forming “narrow” sounds there is a feeling of tenseness in that part of the tongue where the sound is formed, the surface of the tongue being made more convex than in its natural “wide” shape in which it is relaxed and flattened”. (Sweet).
“Rounding is a contraction of the mouth cavity by lateral compression of the cheek passage and narrowing of the lip aperture” (Sweet).]
In Danish pronunciation of rounded vowels the rounding is accompanied by a projection of the lips so as to increase the length of the mouth cavity.
Note 1.—The articulation of Danish a is really advanced back, that of e raised mid. The vowels aa (å) and o are both pronounced with the same rounding as o and u, respectively, in common European pronunciation.
Note 2.—It should at once be noticed that in Danish pronunciation the lips play a more prominent part than in English, that the upper lip is never drawn so close to the teeth as in English pronunciation, and that the tongue normally has a more advanced and flattened position than with English speaking people.
SOUND VALUE OF DANISH VOWELS AND THEIR GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION IN COMMON ORTHOGRAPHY.
11. A has a sound very near that of English a in father, although not quite as deep (somewhat palatalized). Ex. long: Gade street, Abe monkey; short: Hat hat, Tak thanks.
Note. The long a has in the vulgar Copenhagen pronunciation a sound very near English a in fat prolonged. The foreigner must avoid imitating this pronunciation.
12. æ (long) has the same sound as English ai in air; Ex.: Hær army, være to be, svæve to hover.
This sound is in orthography represented by e in: bedre better, der there, her here, deres their, ere are, regjere to rule, Regjering government
