German letters with dots on top - umlauts and their specificity

German letters with dots above are of great importance for the whole language. A large number of words have them in their composition, and therefore one must know how and where to use them.

What is umlaut

In German, the word "umlaut" means "mutation". In principle, this definition can convey the meaning of the term. Umluaut is a sign indicating a phonetic change in the articulation, as well as in the timbre of the vowels. These include the letters "a", "o" and "u". On the letter they look like: ä, ö, ü. If you translate German letters with dots on top in transcription, then the following combinations will be obtained: ä = ae; Ö = oe; Ü = ue. Depending on which word is used in a particular letter, the pronunciation will also differ. However, not much. Mostly "ä" is pronounced close to "e", "ö" - as "e", and "ü" - as "y".

Set on the keyboard

Engaged in learning German and communicating with someone from the native inhabitants of Germany, there is a need to type on the keyboard the notorious umlauts. And the letter "escet" (looks like the usual "beta" - ß) also. Where can I find German letters with dots on top of the keyboard? This issue is of interest to many, but here you need not only to change settings and layout parameters. Also, you will need to purchase the appropriate keyboard - for convenience. If there is no such possibility, then you can simply replace the letters with the combinations mentioned earlier - ue, ae, oe. A "escet" usually means the same as the double "s". For an error such a spelling will not be considered, any German can understand such a word (for example, football: "Fußball" = "Fussball").

Stealth Trick

However, if a person "cuts eyes" like writing, or he just loves literacy and does not want to appear before the Germans is unknown, then there is a small secret that can be used to type a message or text. You can simply type in the search bar of any browser a query called "German alphabet" and click on the search. After that, you will see what is needed. That is, the alphabet. You need to open it and copy the German letters with dots on top. In order not to do this every time, you can save them either in a separate file or in bookmarks. But it is better, of course, to install the German layout. This is not so difficult to do, you just need to go to the control panel through the "Start", after you find the "Language and Regional Standards" item and through the installed services add the necessary language to the settings. Usually on the Russian keyboard the letter "Ä" stands in place "E", "Ö" - in the same place as "F", "Ü" - "X", and "beta" (escet) is transferred to the "dash" key. Over time, this layout can be used, in particular, if you often use the umlauts.

Value

And, finally, about the role played by German letters with dots on top. The uppercase and lowercase umlauts are very important. Whether the word is written with or without a dot, the meaning of the word depends. Between the German umlauts and the Russian accent one can draw a parallel. So, for example, the intonation alone turns the door lock into an antique castle. And in German, two points can turn "already" into "beautiful." This is the word "sch (o / ö) n". "Schon" translates as "already" ("already working" - "arbeite schon"), and "schön" - as "beautiful" ("Du bist sehr schön" - "you are very beautiful"). It is also important not just to write these words correctly, but also to pronounce them. To better assimilate such a specific material, it is recommended to listen to audio recordings, if there is no possibility to go to the teacher in German. Of course, you can read words and transcriptions, but often students begin to pronounce letters with umlauts too clearly. That is, they are pronounced "e", "yu" and a characteristic "e". So it should not be, these sounds are pronounced delicately and gently. Today there is a huge amount of video and audio lessons. After several training sessions on pronunciation, the result will already be heard.