# Proununciation: ğ



## shoddy

Hello
I don't know how I should  pronounce "ğ" in the Turkish language. 
I wonder whether it has any equivalent in English or Farsi or Arabic.
thank you in advance


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## ancalimon

We don't usually pronounce "ğ" in Turkish.  It's like a welding letter between two letters.

Here, Google Translate pronounces the letter correctly in the word AĞA.

http://translate.google.com/#tr/en/ağa

Press the little speaker icon on the left Turkish side.


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## Rallino

Just to add to what ancalimon said; 

1. vowel + *ğ* + vowel → we don't pronounce the _ğ_. So it is silent in words like: _ağa, dağı, eğer…_
2. vowel + *ğ* + consonant → The _ğ _is still silent, but the previous vowel is longer: _Dağ (/daa/), yağmur (/yaamur/), ağrı (/aarı/)_


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## sufler

And also yumuşak ğ (because that is the name of this letter) is pronounced like Turkish/English 'y' when surrounded by front vowels (i, ü, ö, e)
For example: değil [diyil] yiğit [yiyit] değer [deyer].


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## ancalimon

sufler said:


> And also yumuşak ğ (because that is the name of this letter) is pronounced like Turkish/English 'y' when surrounded by front vowels (i, ü, ö, e)
> For example: değil [diyil] yiğit [yiyit] değer [deyer].



There are certain times when it sounds like a "y" but not usually. (ğ sounds like y when it comes before i, ü ,ö)

For example, "yiğit" is not pronounced as "yiyit" but more like "yiit".


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## 123xyz

I am curious as to what actually happened to the "ğ" sound, such that it is no longer pronounced. Obviously, it was softened and eventually disappeared, but what was its earlier pronunciation (presumably something like a voiced velar fricative, as it is in Azeri today) and when did it disappear?


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## shafaq

shoddy said:


> Hello
> I don't know how I should  pronounce "ğ" in the Turkish language.
> I wonder whether it has any equivalent in English or Farsi or Arabic.
> thank you in advance


Its sound is same as غ in Arabic يَغـْْـفرُ .


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## Black4blue

In modern Turkish it has almost no sound, not pronounced. But it is sometimes pronounced in country regions and different accents. For example I have a friend who is Arabic-Turkish from southern Turkey and he denies that _ğ_ has no sound. He keeps insisting on it and makes me crazy.


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## murattug

Black4blue said:


> In modern Turkish it has almost no sound, not pronounced. But it is sometimes pronounced in country regions and different accents. For example I have a friend who is Arabic-Turkish from southern Turkey and he denies that _ğ_ has no sound. He keeps insisting on it and makes me crazy.



therefore some people -like me- not using modern Turkish and if you meet them -me- you can hear Ğ naturally.
I prefer to say "ağrı dağı" not "aarı daı"


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## Melaike

murattug said:


> therefore some people -like me- not using modern Turkish and if you meet them -me- you can hear Ğ naturally.
> I prefer to say "ağrı dağı" not "aarı daı"


Ben de aynısını yapmaya çalışıyorum Bu İstanbullular bozdular güzelim Türkçemizi

Yıldız Tilbe'den ''Geçti dost kervanı *eğleme* beni'' türküsünü dinleyince her ''*eyleme* beni'' deyişinde sinirleniyorum.Eyleme demek yerine ''eeleme'' dese  daha iyi olur bence.


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## marrish

My apologies for reviving this thread - I couldn't understand the Turkish parts. Perhaps the answer to my question lays there but in case it's not there, I would like to have your attention to the following:

Suppose I'd pronounce ğ all the time as ɣ - would my speech be understandable?

The problem is that I wasn't able to figure out when it should and when it shouldn't be pronounced. I asked some people to help me sort this problem out but could not arrive to a conclusion.

Take two examples: Mr. Erdoğan and Mr. Davutoğlu. The former, as far as I have understood, doesn't contain ɣ but it wouldn't be wrong to say it while the latter is pronounced with ɣ.

Am I right?


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## Rallino

Hello marrish 



> Take two examples: Mr. Erdoğan and Mr. Davutoğlu. The former, as far as I have understood, doesn't contain ɣ but it wouldn't be wrong to say it while the latter is pronounced with ɣ.



I pronounce Erdoğan as _Erdoan_, with a very quick *oa*, just like a diphtongue. Davutoğlu is pronounced with a long _o_: _Davutoolu_.

When the _ğ_ is between two vowels, ignore it completely. When it's in a _vowel-ğ-consonant_ sequence, prolong the vowel, ignoring the ğ_, _which is the case in _Davut*oğl*u.
_
Another such name is _Ağaoğlu_. I ignore both _ğ_'s, prolong the _o_: _aaoolu_.



> Suppose I'd pronounce ğ all the time as ɣ - would my speech be understandable?


Of course. It's just that you'll be speaking with a strong accent.


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## marrish

Thank you very much. By the way, are there some dialects or I don't know, ways of speaking, where ğ's are pronounced?

How it used to be in the Ottoman language?


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## Rallino

I'm thinking that, the more you go eastward, the stronger it gets.

We can't speak about the Ottoman language with accuracy, but probably it was pronounced differently in different eras.


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## Black4blue

Nothing to add to Rallino's perfect explanation.



marrish said:


> The problem is that I wasn't able to figure out when it should and when it shouldn't be pronounced.



As it is said, there's nothing much to pronounce, indeed. It is easier and effortless when you just ignore that letter, isn't it?


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## marrish

You are right, it's easier! I will follow your and Rallino's advice. In my language it is pronounced so I have no problem to do it either but as you say, a rule of the thumb to skip it should suffice. The only problem is when I am able to write something myself I will forget where it should be written!

One last question: tuğrâ - what is the pronunciation?


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## fdb

http://www.forvo.com/ is an excellent international pronunciation site, with lots of recordings of speakers of Turkish, and any other language you want.


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## marrish

Oh, you are absolutely right! How silly of me that I forgot about it. Thank you.

From the only recording it is there I can't make up my mind. I am not sure if I want to hear it or the slight sound of ğ is there.


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