G (letter): Difference between revisions

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''For GH in English see [[GH]]''
''For GH in English see [[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 followed by the zh sound).
'''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).


Hard '''g''', the voiced k: '''goòd''', dóg, guàrd, gúm, ágony, guést, bíg, píg, wríggle, squíggle, égg, flág, ság, Péggy, regâle'''.
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'''.
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'''.
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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'''.
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 finally in '''Háringèy''' *Háringây.


'''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.

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G is the seventh letter of the English alphabet. Its name is pronounced gee as in gee up.

Use in English

For GH in English see 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).

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 finally in Háringèy *Háringây.

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.

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, Wrágg and Hógg, cf. the animal hóg.

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).

It also combines to form the eccentric digraph gh.

See also