38. For v being the sign of the w-sound in diphthongs, see § 28. Some words may be pronounced both with diphthong (the vowel preceding v then being short) and with a long vowel and v; {{sm|Ex.: Hav sea pron. Ha·v or Haw, Skove forests pron. Skå·ve or Skåwe, over over, pron. å·ver or åwer. The vowels a and o are mostly short before v (implying the diphthongic pronunciation), but there are some exceptions: bra·v brave, Gra·v grave, Kra·v claim, la·v low, ga·v gave (impf. of give), gro·v dug (impf. af grave).
39. Colloquially v is often dropped after l: hal(v) half, tol(v) 12, søl(v) silver; after along vowel: bra(v) brave, ga(v) gave, gi(v) give, bli(v) become, ble(v) became. Between two vowels, the second of which is ə, v is often dropped together with the following ə; Ex.: ha(ve) to have, gi(ve) to give, gi(ve)r gives, bli(ve)r becomes, Hoved head, pron. Hoðə in its original meaning, but Hoveð in compound words used figuratively: Hovedsag matter af chief importance, Hovedstad capital, ha(ve) to have, imperf. pron. haðe written havde.
40. t an aspirated English t (t-h, but not an open (spirantic) sound like English th); Ex.: Tag roof, ti ten. After s the aspiration does not take place, so st sounds almost like sd: Sted place, pron. Sdeð. Also tt sounds almost like a d, but without voice: mætte satisfied (plur.), prou. mæ’də (see § 29).
41. The sound of t is in Danish spelling in some words rendered by th in conformity with the old pronunciation; Ex.: thi (conjunction) for; Thing diet (to distinguish it in writing from Ting thing). Also in words of Greek origin: Theater, Throne, Theori.
42. t is at the end of the unstressed syllable in words of two syllables or more pronounced as a soft ð (see § 46); especially in participles and words with the definite article; Ex.: böjet bent (bojeð), Huset (ð) the house. But in foreign words with the stress upon the second syllable t is pronounced as t: Serviet napkin.
