Some Distinctive Features of Islam — Page xi
x غ gh , a sound approached very nearly in the r grasseye in French, and in the German r. It requires the muscles of the throat to be in the ‘gargling’ position whilst pronouncing it. ق q , a deep guttural k sound. ئ ’, a sort of catch in the voice. Short vowels are represented by: a for (like u in bud ) i for (like i in bid ) u for (like oo in wood ) Long vowels by: a for or (like a in father ); i for $ or (like ee in deep ); u for و (like oo in root ); Other: ai for $ (like i in site )*; au for و (resembling ou in sound ) Please note that in transliterated words the letter e is to be pronounced as in prey which rhymes with day ; however the pronunciation is flat without the element of English diphthong. If in Urdu and Persian words e is lengthened a bit more, it is transliterated as ei to be pronounced as ei in feign without the element of diphthong. * In Arabic words like !"# (Shaikh) there is an element of diphthong which is missing when the word is pronounced in Urdu.