(for instance , ). In order to explicate that no voicedness is involved in the contrast, the diacritic for voicelessness may be used (for instance , ). Another possibility of transcription is the notation of the length, either with the IPA length sign (for instance , ) or with doubling (for instance , ). The opposition is only possible if the obstruents are surrounded by voiced sounds. If there is another adjacent voiceless sound (except ), then there is no opposition. With the fricatives, the opposition does not occur at the beginning of a syllable. This is similar to the length opposition that occurs in the continuants . With the stops, however, the opposition is not restricted with respect to syllable structure and also occurs in the syllable onset, for instance ('to bake') vs. ('baked, past participle'); in order for this opposition not to be neutralized, there must be a preceding voiced sound, for instance ('I want to bake a cake') vs. ('I have baked a cake'). In the Northern Bernese German, however, only lenis plosives may occur at the syllable onset, so 'to bake' and 'baked (past participle)' are homophonous as . As in other Alemannic dialects, but unlike other Germanic languages, there is no interdependence of the length of a consonant with the length of the preceding vowel. Fortis consonants may occur after either long or short vowels, and lenis consonants as well: Vocalization of /l/ Long is pronounced , for instance → ('ball'); at the end of a syllable , for instance → ('cold'). This feature is absent in the old upper-class dialect of the patricians. Velarization of is pronounced in most cases, for instance → ('dog') or → ('child'). However, there are some words like ('wind') or ('friend') in which is not velarized. This feature is absent in the old upper-class dialect of the patricians. In the southwestern dialects of the Schwarzenburg area, it is pronounced . Reduction of In the western and southern dialects (not in the city of Bern), is pronounced , for instance → ('to think'). Stress In native words, the word stem is stressed, except verbs with a separable prefix where that prefix is stressed. In loan words, there is – in comparison to standard German – a preference for initial stress, for instance Bernese German ('casino'), ('chalet') vs. standard German , . Diachronics Vowel lengthening and shortening Like other High Alemannic