Continuing the Alphabet (استمرا رة الأبجدية)
XX- Indicates that the letter is never found in this position
| Name | Alone | End | Middle | Beginning | Transcrpt. | Sounds Like |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ayn* | ع | ع | ع | ع | 3 | voiced equivalent of H (see NOTE ON AYN) |
| ghayn* | غ | غ | غ | غ | gh | ~this is the voiced equivalent of "kh" |
| faa | ف | ف | ف | ف | f | "f" as in "fantastic" |
| qaaf* | ق | ق | ق | ق | q | like the "q" without a "u"; Sounds like a "k" but pronounc ed very far back in the throat. |
| kaaf | ك | ك | ك | ك | k | "k" as in "kinetic" |
| laam | ل | ل | ل | ل | l | "l" as in "laugh" |
| miim | م | م | م | م | m | "m" as in "mouse" |
| nuun | ن | ن | ن | ن | n | "n" as in "nap" |
| haa | ه | ه | ه | ه | h | "h" as in "hat" |
| waaw | و | و | Xو | X و | w (uu) | "w" as in "welcome" OR as a vowel, the long "oo" in "spoon" |
| yaa | ي | ي | ي | ي | y (ii/ee) | "y" as in "yellow" OR as a vowel, the long "ee" in "beer" or the long "a" in "air" |
| taa marbuuta | ة | ة | XX | XX | t or a | the "t" in "tap" or as the very short vowel "a" in "about" |
| hamza | أ إ ئ ء ؤ | ' | glottal stop like found in the middle of the word "backgam mon." Which, contrary to its spelling, is pronounced more like "ba'gamm on" |
* Indicates that these are consonants that Arabic has that English does not have
NOTE ON AYN: This sound is one that Western learners of Arabic have a lot of trouble with, because very little in English or other Germanic languages comes close to it. The best way to learn it is go look up videos and soundbites online of native Arabic speakers pronouncing it.
Until then, here is some brief instruction on how to pronounce it. Start by saying the word "gurgle" over and over again fast, and sloppy, don't try too hard to articulate it. Gradually drop the "g" and just say "urgle" over and over. Note where the articulation is taking place all the way in the back of your throat. Now, try to pronounce an "aw" sound from that far back place, even farther back if you can. This is the sound ayn makes.
~ A note on Voicing:
Voicing refers to the actions of the vocal chords during articulation of a sound: whether they are vibrating or whether they are not. It can be the only difference between two consonant sounds in a language. For example: Put two fingers to the bottom of your throat where your vocal chords are located, and pronounce "ssssssssssss". Keeping your fingers there, pronounce "zzzzzzzz". Now alternate between the two. Feel the vibration of the vocal chords during "zzzz" and their stillness during "sss". That is because these two sounds are called a Voiced/Voiceless Pair: they are articulated the exact same way EXCEPT "s" is a voiceless sound, there is NO vibration of the vocal chords, while "z" is requires
vibration of the vocal chords.
NOW, refer back to the "ghayn". It is described as the voiced equivalent of "kh". So, pronounce the khaa, which is sound like the "ch" in loch and notice the lack of vibration in your vocal chords. Now, vibrate your vocal chords while pronouncing khaa and you should get the consonant sound of ghayn! It may feel a bit like gargling.
Writing the kaaf: When writing the kaaf in the beginning or middle position, the bottom half (the diagonal slanting upward and leftward) is written with the body of the word, and the top half (the diagonal slanting down and left) that attaches to the top of bottom diagonal, is added when one goes back to add any dots, dashes, or carets.
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Related Links: Arabic Alphabet in Arabic Continuing the Alphabet(استمرا رة ا لأبجدية) |