G (letter): Difference between revisions

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Ro Thorpe
(reneg(u)e)
imported>Ro Thorpe
Line 4: Line 4:
==Use in English==
==Use in English==
{{:English_spellings/Catalogs/Masterlist}}
{{:English_spellings/Catalogs/Masterlist}}
''For '''GH''' in English see [[GH]]''
:''See also '''[[GH]]'''''


'''g''' is pronounced in the throat, a voiced '''k''' as in '''kíng''' (compare '''gâte''' and '''Kâte''': the accents show stress and pronunciation: see [[English phonemes]]); or it is pronounced like '''j''' in '''Jûne''' ([d] sound followed by the 'zh' sound: [dʒ]).
'''g''' is pronounced in the throat, a voiced '''k''' as in '''kíng''' (compare '''gâte''' and '''Kâte''': the accents show stress and pronunciation: see [[English phonemes]]); or it is pronounced like '''j''' in '''Jûne''' ([d] sound followed by the 'zh' sound: [dʒ]).
Line 16: Line 16:
Soft '''g''' is rarely doubled as in '''exággerate'''.
Soft '''g''' is rarely doubled as in '''exággerate'''.


But '''g''' before '''e''' and '''i''' is hard in some words, often at the beginning: '''gíve, gét, gíbbon, gízzard, gíg, gíld''' ''gold'' (= '''guíld''' ''society''), '''gíll''' ''fish'' (cf. soft '''g''' in '''gíll''' ''quarter pint'' = '''Jíll''' ''person''), '''gíddy, begín''', and beginning the last syllable in '''Háringèy''' *Háringây.
But '''g''' before '''e''' and '''i''' is hard in some words, often at the beginning: '''gíve, gét, gíbbon, gízzard, gíg, gíld''' ''gold'' (= '''guíld''' ''society''), '''gíll''' ''fish'' (cf. soft '''g''' in '''gíll''' ''quarter pint'' = '''Jíll''' ''person''), '''gíddy, begín''', and beginning the last syllable in '''Háringèy''' = '''Hárringây'''.


'''g''' has the 'zh' sound only in the name of the former French colony '''Nigér''' (*Nìzhér).  Compare the name of the river and delta, also spelt '''Nîger''', and the former British colony '''Nigêria''', both of which have the normal soft 'j' sound of '''g''' - and a different '''î''' sound.
'''g''' has the 'zh' sound only in the name of the former French colony '''Nigér''' (*Nìzhér).  Compare the name of the river and delta, also spelt '''Nîger''', and the former British colony '''Nigêria''', both of which have the normal soft 'j' sound of '''g''' - and a different '''î''' sound.

Revision as of 20:22, 22 November 2009

This article is developing and not approved.
Main Article
Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

G, g is a letter of the Latin alphabet. It is the seventh letter of most variants, being placed after F and before H, as is the case for instance in the English alphabet. Its English name is pronounced [ˈdʒiː], that is gee as in gee up.

Use in English

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list  
Common misspellings  

See also GH

g is pronounced in the throat, a voiced k as in kíng (compare gâte and Kâte: the accents show stress and pronunciation: see English phonemes); or it is pronounced like j in Jûne ([d] sound followed by the 'zh' sound: [dʒ]).

Hard g, the voiced k: goòd, dóg, guàrd, gúm, ágony, guést, bíg, píg, wríggle, squíggle, égg, flág, ság, Péggy, regâle.

Words beginning with gu- plus a front vowel, e, i or y, have the hard sound; the u is written to show this, and is itself silent: guîde, guínea, guéss, guést, guŷ, guílty (cf. hard final-sound g followed by silent -ue in lêague, plâgue) - similarly, hard gh- in ghôst, ghoûlish, ghāstly.

Soft g, sounding like j, found before front vowels e, i and y medially often preceded by a d following a short vowel: George, gín, gŷroscope, géntleman, geriátric, giráffe, Gërmany, hédge, lódge, cúdgel, brídge, egrêgious, édgy, pâge, Nîgel, wâge.

Soft g is rarely doubled as in exággerate.

But g before e and i is hard in some words, often at the beginning: gíve, gét, gíbbon, gízzard, gíg, gíld gold (= guíld society), gíll fish (cf. soft g in gíll quarter pint = Jíll person), gíddy, begín, and beginning the last syllable in Háringèy = Hárringây.

g has the 'zh' sound only in the name of the former French colony Nigér (*Nìzhér). Compare the name of the river and delta, also spelt Nîger, and the former British colony Nigêria, both of which have the normal soft 'j' sound of g - and a different î sound.

g is always soft in penultimate position before e: áverage, bínge.

Before suffixes, hard g is doubled to keep the preceding vowel short: dígging, pégging, lágging, fóggy, dóggie, dógged, béggar, rúgger and also finally in égg and in surnames: Clégg, Hógg = hóg animal, Wrágg = rág cloth, Rígg = ríg ship and before final s in Bíggs.

There is a soft g in dúngeon, *dúnjən, and díngy dirty, *dínjy; dínghy boat has the ng sound, with or without a g sound following it, depending on the speaker. Hard g is gh in spaghétti, ghôul, ghôst.

g begins consonant clusters: glûe, ignŏre (g sounded, cf. gnôme garden = Nõme Alaska), grêen.

Although pronounced after the í in ignŏre, g is often silent before n (cf. k in knôw) initially: gnôme, gnåw, or, more often, medially after a long vowel or diphthong: sîgn (cf. sígnal, g pronounced) resîgn, desîgn, impûgn, dèign, rèign monarch (= râin wet), campâign, and after an unstressed vowel in fóreign; and sometimes, from French, -gne: champâgne, colôgne.

In the French ending -gue, the -ue is silent: lêague, intrìgue, plâgue, vâgue, Hâgue (similarly with -que). And renègue may also be spelt renège, keeping its hard g sound.

g also combines to form the eccentric digraph gh.

See also