ġayn

Encyclopedia : A : AY : AYN : ġayn

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The Arabic alphabet
History · Transliteration Diacritics · hamza {{ar Numerals · Numeration

Ġayn (ﻍ) is one of the six letters the Arabic alphabet added to the twenty-two inherited from the Phoenician alphabet (the others being ṯāʼ, ḫāʼ, ḏāl, ḍād, ẓāʼ). It represents the voiced velar fricative (IPA [ɣ]). In name and shape, it is a variant of ʿayn.

A voiced uvular fricative [ʁ] is usually reconstructed for Proto-Semitic, merged with Ayin in most languages except for Arabic and Ugaritic. The South Arabian alphabet retained a symbol for ġ, .

The pronunciation of the letter varies between regions. For example, in most Arabic dialects the sound is best compared to gargling water in the back of one's throat, but in Egypt, which has a historically had a prominent Anglo influence, gayn sounds like an English g. This is also true of certain loan words, such as the word for "English", near-universally pronounced Inglatizee.[link]

Proto-Semitic	Akkadian	Arabic		Canaanite		Hebrew		Aramaic		South Arabian		Ge'ez
	-	غ	ġ		ʿ	ע	ʿ	ע	ʿ		ġ	ዐ	ʿ

See also

• Arabic phonology

 

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