(such as ) in
Europe in the mid-20th century. |class=skin-invert-image There are two main hypotheses regarding the origin of the uvular trill in European languages. According to one hypothesis, the uvular trill originated in Standard
French around the 17th century and spread to the standard varieties of
German,
Danish,
Portuguese, and some of those of
Dutch,
Norwegian and
Swedish. It is also present in other areas of Europe, but it is not clear if such pronunciations are due to French influence. In most cases, varieties have shifted the sound to a
voiced uvular fricative or approximant . The other main hypothesis is that the uvular trill originated within Germanic languages through the weakening and vocalization of the
alveolar trill toward an
open back vowel (notable for its
pharyngealization), with the uvular trill subsequently emerging as a strengthened articulation of this vocalization. Accordingly, there is ample evidence that the uvular trill existed in German dialects long before the 17th century, suggesting that while the French usage may have influenced its spread, it was not the ultimate origin. ==Fricative trill==