A Misconception Removed — Page vii
Publishers’ Note vii ا at the beginning of a word, pronounced as a , i , u preceded by a very slight aspiration, like h in the English word 'honour'. ث th , pronounced like th in the English word 'thing'. ح h , a guttural aspirate, stronger than h. خ kh , pronounced like the Scotch ch in 'loch'. ذ dh , pronounced like the English th in 'that'. ص s , strongly articulated s. ض d , similar to the English th in 'this'. ط t , strongly articulated palatal t. ظ z , strongly articulated z. ع ‘, a strong guttural, the pronunciation of which must be learnt by the ear. غ gh , a sound approached very nearly in the r ' grasseye ' in French, and in the German r. It re- quires 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');