Gheada

  Gheada

  No gheada

Gheada (IPA: [ħeˈaðɐ]) is a term in Galician to describe the debuccalisation of the voiced velar stop /ɡ/ to a voiceless pharyngeal fricative [ħ].

Although it is found throughout Galicia, its use is declining in Lugo and eastern Ourense, and it is rarely encountered in education or broadcasting. However, it is neither considered incorrect nor stigmatised, and it is perfectly acceptable in speech.

Occasionally, the sound is articulated as a voiceless velar fricative [x], as in Castilian jamón.

Orthography

The pronunciation is sometimes indicated by the digraph gh:

• gato (IPA: [ˈɡatʊ]; "cat") > ghato [ˈħatʊ]
• pago (IPA: [ˈpaɣʊ]; "payment") > pagho [ˈpaħʊ]

See also

• Phonological history of Spanish coronal fricatives

External links

• Map of gheada and seseo use in Galician-speaking areas
• The Use of Gheada in Three Generations of Women from Carballo, A Coruña by Juan Antonio Thomas, the University at Albany