Swedish pronunciation [was: Futurese]

Andreas skrev:

> It may be noted that the commonest pronunciation of Swedish /S/ is
[x], and
> that [s'] is normally interpreted phonemically as /rs/, and that [C]
and
> [s`] pretty much never contrast, /C/ occuring only syllable-initially,
/rs/
> only after the syllable core.
I've wondered about this. I've studied Swedish a bit, and in the
textbooks they always give /S/ for words like sjö, sjuk, stjärna, etc.,
as well as the ending -tion. And this is how the speakers on the tapes
(for those textbooks which come with tapes) pronounce it as well. Yet
every Swede I've actually met has said /x/. I've wondered how widespread
that pronunciation really is, and why the textbooks never tell you about
it. It seems a curious sound change -- I wonder how it occurred. Also,
it sounds to my ear that where the textbooks say you should say /ç/
(köpa, tjuv, etc.) the Swedes I've met have all said /S/.

Thomas

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