Aspiration
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In English, as in many languages, some letters represent
two different sounds, one aspirated, and the other unaspirated. Aspiration
is a "breath" that follows the initial part of a sound. Compare the sounds
associated with the English letter t
for example. Hold the back of your hand close to your mouth and say "Top."
Now say "Stop." Can you feel the burst of air that follows the t in "Top" but not in "Stop"? The same difference exists between the p in "Peak" and the one in "Speak." That burst of air after the t in "Top" and the p in "Peak" is called "aspiration." Aspiration is an important part of the phonetic system of some languages. In Classical Greek, for example, some letters must never be aspirated, while others are always aspirated. Look at the Classical Greek pronunciation suggestions on the Alphabet page to see which letters must be aspirated and which ones must not. Select one of the options below to go to that particular letter on the alphabet page. Theta Kappa Pi Tau Phi Chi |