Re: Voiced Velar Fricative

In a message dated 12/19/2002 7:21:13 AM Pacific Standard Time,
christopher.bates@NTLWORLD.COM writes:


> Is gh (i don't know the ascii ways of representing IPA sounds, but I
> mean a voiced velar fricative) common? I think english used to have the
> sound, as did welsh (or at least g used to be mutated to gh a long time
> ago) but for some reason it disappeared. I just wondered because I love
> the sound for some reason but I don't want to add it if its extremely
> uncommon in natural languages. Thanks in advance,
>
> Chris B.
>
 I've always had gh in Kankonian -- as long as I can remember making up words
for it. It was intended to be a harder, darker G at the back of the throat
just like the "gh" is in Arabic. That's what I think of when I think of "gh".
I always assumed it was a normal sound that occurred in Arabic and therefore
probably occurred in other languages too. Never thought it might be extremely
rare.