Lesson 3
How to Pronounce Sumerian Ĝ
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to pronounce Sumerian ĝ. This is a topic for the more serious student of the Sumerian language, so if you’d prefer to skip it, you can jump to Lesson 4. However, I highly recommend going through this lesson, as you’ll learn about some important Akkadian translation and English transliteration techniques.
Need a Refresher on How to Pronounce Sumerian?
Vocabulary to Memorize
This is a tiny little vocabulary list, so I highly recommend taking the time to memorize these cuneiform words and definitions!
- diĝir 𒀭 v., deity, god. part., determinative indicating a deity.
- ĝir15 (gi7) 𒂠 v., to be native; local; domesticated. adj., native, domestic; noble.
- ḫuĝ 𒂠 v., to pacify; hire, rent; rest.
How to Pronounce Sumerian Ĝ--The Current Consensus
Throughout your Sumerian language journey, you’ll encounter the consonant /ĝ/.
In the academic world, the current consensus is it should be pronounced like the /ng/ in ‘bring’.
The reason for this is that the Akkadians transliterated the Sumerian consonant /ĝ/ as either:
- /n/
- /g/
- /m/
- /ng/
- /mg/
More specifically, they tended to transliterate /ĝ/ as:
- /g/ or /k/ when it was the first sound of the word: ĝir 𒂠 became gir 𒂠
- /n/ when it was the final sound in a word: ḫuĝ 𒂠became ḫun 𒂠
- /ng/ or /mg/ when it was in the middle of the word: diĝir 𒀭 became dingir 𒀭
NOTE: Older Sumerian language literature doesn’t use the /ĝ/ character at all, and you may come across a /g/, /k/, /n/, /ng/ or /mg/ instead of the correct /ĝ/.
FUN FACT: Transliteration of /ĝ/ as /ng/ may have been the reason why Zecharia Sitchin misunderstood the word diĝir 𒀭 to be a compound word din-gir 𒁷𒄈, which he decided meant ‘aliens’. Either way, it’s clear to anyone with even the basic level of proficiency that Sitchin did not speak Sumerian.
My Argument for /ĝ/ as /ġ/
The reason why Akkadians transliterated /ĝ/ as /n/, /g/, and /m/ is because the Akkadian language did not have an equivalent sound.
The fact that they used three distinct consonants, or combinations thereof leads me to believe that the Sumerian /ĝ/ sound was well outside of their phonological capability.
However, there is a sound which is close to /n/, /g/, and /ng/, which I believe is just as likely to be the correct pronunciation.
To create this sound:
- Say the word ‘bring’, and hold the /ng/ sound.
- Slide the back of your tongue to the back of your throat.
- Just barely remove your tongue from your throat so that air can pass through.
The sound you just made is best described as /ʁ/ (voiced uvular fricative), as in the French /r/, or /ġ/ (also written /ɣ/) (voiced velar fricative) as in the Arabic/Persian letter غ (ġayn).
In other words, a /gh/ or guttural /g/ without the hard stop.
I propose that depending on its placement in a word, this consonant may have ranged between the nasal /ng/ and the uvular/velar fricative /ġ/; more specifically, as:
- /ġ/ at the beginning of the word: ĝir 𒂠 (gh/ir)
- /ng/ at the end of the word: ḫuĝ 𒂠 (hu/ng)
- a combined /ng+gh/ in the middle of the word; diĝir 𒀭 (ding/ghir)
You Get to Decide How to Pronounce /ĝ/
The fact is, no one knows for sure how /ĝ/ was pronounced in Sumerian. For all we know, it was a palatalized /n/. While learning Sumerian, if you’d prefer to avoid debate with your fellow Sumerian linguists, you’re welcome to pronounce Sumerian pronounce Sumerian ĝ as /ng/.
Akkadian Consonant Swapping
/ĝ/ wasn’t the only consonant Akkadian’s had trouble with. The following consonants were often swapped out for one another.
You don’t have to memorize these, but it’s helpful to be aware of when translating Sumerian.
- /b/ and /p/
- /d/ and /t/
- /d/ and /ṭ/
- /g/ and /k/
- /g/ and /q/
- /ĝ/ and /n/
- /ĝ/ and /g/
- /ĝ/ and /k/
- /ĝ/ and /m/
- /ĝ/ and /ng/
- /r/ and /ř/
- /s/ and /š/
- /s/ and /ṣ/
- /z/ and /s/
- /z/ and /ṣ/
- /m/ and /n/
Your Sumerian Language Journey Continues!
Congratulations! You now know how to pronounce Sumerian ĝ! In the next lesson, you’ll learn about Sumerian word-emphasis and glottal stops, and bring your mastery of Sumerian pronunciation to a close! So, be sure to subscribe to my Substack to get notified as soon as it posts!
