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In Southern Dutch, the phonemes {{IPA|/x/}} and {{IPA|/ɣ/}} are either cardinal velars {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|x}}, {{IPAplink|ɣ}}]}} or post-palatal {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|ç˗|ç}}, {{IPAplink|ʝ˗|ʝ}}]}}.{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|1982}}{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|2003}} More specifically, post-palatals occur in contact with phonemic front vowels and {{IPA|/ə/}}, whereas the cardinal velars occur in contact with phonemic back vowels (including {{IPA|/aː/}} and {{IPA|/ɑ/}}).{{sfnp|Heijmans|Gussenhoven|1998}}{{sfnp|Peters|2010|p=240}} The phonemes usually contrast by voicing, but {{IPA|/ɣ/}} can be devoiced to a lenis {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|x|ɣ̊}} ~ {{IPAplink|ç|ʝ̊}}]}} that differs from {{IPA|/x/}} in a less energetic articulation. Verhoeven and Hageman<ref>Cited in {{Harvcoltxt|Verhoeven|2005|p=244}}.</ref> have found that 70% of word-initial and 56% of intervocalic lenis fricatives (which includes {{IPA|/v/}} and {{IPA|/z/}}) are realized as fully voiceless in Belgium. In [[Maastrichtian Limburgish]], initial {{IPA|/ɣ/}} is often partially devoiced as well.{{sfnp|Gussenhoven|Aarts|1999|p=156}}
In [[Ripuarian language|Ripuarian]] (spoken in the southeastern part of Limburg), the voiced {{IPAIPAblink|ʝ˗|/ɣ/ʝ}} has been so fronted and weakened as to merge with the [[palatal approximant]] {{IPAIPAblink|/j/}} (except after back vowels); cf.compare Standard Dutch {{lang|nl|goed}} {{IPA|/ɣut/}} with {{lang|ksh|jód}} {{IPA|/jot/}} in the [[Kerkrade dialect]], with both words meaning 'good'. Those dialects are also an exception to the rule, as they switch over to the respective (southern) standard pronunciation when speaking Standard Dutch or, on the other side of the border (e.g. in [[Herzogenrath]], where the Kerkrade dialect is also spoken), Standard German (in which case {{IPAblink|ɡ}} is used). The pronunciation with {{IPAblink|j}} is [[Markedness|marked]] on both sides of the border. However, in many cases, this {{IPAblink|j}} still patterns as an [[obstruent]], an allophone of {{IPA|/ɣ/}} in Ripuarian. The plural form {{lang|ksh|zeëje}} {{IPA|[ˈzeəjə]}}{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} 'saws' has an underlying {{IPA|/ɣ/}}: {{IPA|/ˈzeəɣə/}}{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} because it alternates with a voiceless fricative in the root {{lang|ksh|zeëg}} {{IPA|[ˈzeəç]}}{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} 'saw', phonemically {{IPA|/ˈzeəɣ/}}.{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} Compare this with the alternation in {{lang|ksh|vroag}} {{IPA|[ˈvʁoəχ]}}{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} 'question' - {{lang|ksh|vroage}} {{IPA|[ˈvʁoəʁə]}}{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} 'questions' (phonemically {{IPA|/ˈvroːɣ/}},{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} {{IPA|/ˈvroəɣə/}}){{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} or with the plural-singular pair {{lang|ksh|löcher}} {{IPA|[ˈlœçəʁ]}} - {{lang|ksh|laoch}} {{IPA|[ˈlɔːχ]}},{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} which has underlying voiceless fricatives: {{IPA|/ˈlœxər/}}, {{IPA|/ˈlɔːx/}}.{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} The {{IPA|/j/}} phoneme is a [[sonorant]] and thus cannot participate in alternations like that. Furthermore, Ripuarian features a very different pronunciation of {{IPA|/x/}} and {{IPA|/ɣ/}} after back vowels, as uvular {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|χ}}, {{IPAplink|ʁ}}]}}, not dissimilar from the Northern Dutch pronunciation in the first case. The realization of {{IPA|/ɣ/}} as {{IPAblink|ʁ}} results in a phonetic merger with {{IPA|/r/}} and is thus an example of [[rhotacism]]. The consonants surrounding the diphthong in {{lang|ksh|vroage}} {{IPA|/ˈvroəɣə/}}{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} are indistinguishable from each other: {{IPA|[ˈvʁoəʁə]}}).{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} It is a typical feature of Ripuarian. This merger is also not phonemic as {{IPA|/r/}} too is a sonorant and thus cannot participate in alternations such as {{IPA|[ˈvʁoəχ]}}{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} - {{IPA|[ˈvʁoəʁə]}}{{fix|text=tone?|date=July 2023}} mentioned above.{{sfnp|Stichting Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer|1997|pp=17, 19, 21, 126}}{{sfnp|Russ|1989|pp=228–229}}
In Northern Dutch, {{IPA|/ɣ/}} appears immediately before voiced consonants and sometimes also between vowels. In the latter case, the sound is not voiced and differs from {{IPA|/x/}} in length ({{IPA|/ɣ/}} is longer) and in that it is produced a little bit further front (mediovelar, rather than postvelar) and lacks any trilling, so that {{lang|nl|vlaggen}} {{IPA|/ˈvlɑɣən/}} 'flags' has a somewhat lengthened, plain voiceless velar {{IPAblink|x|xˑ}} (hereafter represented with {{angbr IPA|ɣ̊}}): {{IPA|[ˈvlɑɣ̊ə(n)]}}, whereas {{lang|nl|lachen}} {{IPA|/ˈlɑxən/}} 'to laugh' features a shorter, post-velar fricative with a simultaneous voiceless uvular trill, transcribed with {{angbr IPA|x̠͡ʀ̥}} or {{angbr IPA|ʀ̝̊˖}} in narrow IPA but normally written with {{angbr IPA|χ}} or {{angbr IPA|x}}. In this article, {{angbr IPA|χ}} is used ({{IPA|[ˈlɑχə(n)]}}), even though the fricative portion is usually more front than cardinal uvulars.{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|1982}}{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|2003}}{{sfnp|Goeman|Van de Velde|2001}} In Northern Dutch, the contrast between {{IPA|/x/}} and {{IPA|/ɣ/}} is unstable, and {{lang|nl|vlaggen}} is more likely to feature {{IPAblink|χ}}: {{IPA|[ˈvlɑχə(n)]}}.{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|1982}}{{sfnp|Collins|Mees|2003}} Apart from Ripuarian, the voiceless trill fricative {{IPAblink|ʀ̝̊}} appears in very different contexts in Southern Dutch, being an allophone of {{IPA|/r/}}.{{sfnp|Tops|2009}}
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