GIMAL | TiberianHebrew.com

GIMAL (GIMEL)

ג

VOICED VELAR STOP [g]

VOICED UVULAR FRICATIVE [ʁ]

OR

Gimal with dagesh is pronounced like English "g". Gimal with rafe, which typically occurs after vowels, is pronounced almost as if you were "gurgling" low in the back of the throat, but with a smoother consistent flow of air so you don't get the "gurgling" rumble sound. For those familiar with Arabic, it is pronounced like the letter ghayin (غ). It is important to keep this sound distinct from Tiberain resh, which is pronounced in the same place but with a "gurgling" sound.

[g]

גּ

גֿ

[ʁ]

Hidayat al-Qari

From the second of the places of articulation are heard גֿ and ךֿ rafe. This is the third of the tongue that is adjacent to the pharynx, opposite the (soft) palate. In fact this is not a primary place of articulation, but it functions like one. This is because when gimel and kaf have dagesh, their place of articulation is the middle of the tongue, in its wide part. The primary places of articulation are five in number. The third of the tongue that is the place of articulation of the two (aforementioned) letters with rafe, I mean גֿ and ךֿ, is secondary. So, the total number of places of articulation are six, five primary and one secondary. The middle of the tongue is the place of articulation of five letters, namely גיכרק.

Translation from Khan (TPTBH II.L.1.3.6)

EXAMPLE WORDS:

דָּג

[ˈdɔːɔʁ]

מִגְדָּל

[miʁˈdɔːɔl]

יִסְגֹּר

[jisˈgoːoʀ̟]

גָּמָל

[gɔːˈmɔːɔl]

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Khan, Geoffrey. 2020. The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew. Cambridge: Cambridge and Open Book Publishers. §I.1.3.