The Need for the Imam — Page x
x 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 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 ی or (like ee in 'deep'); u for و (like oo in 'root'); Other: ai for ی (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. ♦ In Arabic words like ﺷﻴﺦ (Shaikh) there is an element of diphthong which is missing when the word is pronounced in Urdu.