Emphatic Letters

The letter ط (Tah) is an emphatic "t" sound. It is produced by pressing the tongue against the palate (the roof of the mouth) instead of the teeth, giving a heavy, hollow "t." The book transcribes it with an underdotted "t." It is a sun letter in Arabic. Letter Forms: - Isolated: ط (an oval body with a tall vertical stroke, NO dot) - Initial: طـ (when it begins a word) - Medial: ـطـ (when it appears in the middle of a word) - Final: ـط (when it ends a word) The letter ط is a connector: it joins to the letters on both sides. It looks the same as ظ (Zah) but ط has NO dot, while ظ has ONE dot above. The Madda (آ): This lesson also introduces the Madda. When a Hamza with fatha is followed by a long "aa," the two are written as a single alif carrying a small wavy sign: آ, pronounced "aa" (a long "a" preceded by a glottal stop). For example آكُلُ ("aakulu," I eat) instead of أَاكُلُ, and قُرْآن ("qur'aan"). The Madda always sounds "aa." Sun and Moon Letters: ط is a SUN letter. With the article ال the "l" assimilates and doubles the ط: الطَّبِيب is pronounced "at-tabeeb," not "al-tabeeb." Vowel Marks (Harakat): - With Fatha (طَ): Pronounced "ta" (heavy emphatic t + a) - With Damma (طُ): Pronounced "tu" (heavy emphatic t + u) - With Kasra (طِ): Pronounced "ti" (heavy emphatic t + i) - With Sukoon (طْ): Consonant only, the heavy "t" stopped - With Shadda Fatha (طَّ): Pronounced "tta" (doubled emphatic t with "a") - With Shadda Damma (طُّ): Pronounced "ttu" (doubled emphatic t with "u") - With Shadda Kasra (طِّ): Pronounced "tti" (doubled emphatic t with "i") - With Tanween Fath (طً): Pronounced "tan" (adds "-an" sound) - With Tanween Damm (طٌ): Pronounced "tun" (adds "-un" sound) - With Tanween Kasr (طٍ): Pronounced "tin" (adds "-in" sound) Practice Tips: 1. Press the tongue flat against the palate for a heavy, deep "t" 2. Contrast ط (heavy, emphatic) with ت (light, ordinary t): compare طِين "clay" and تِين "figs" 3. NO dot distinguishes ط from ظ which has ONE dot above 4. ط is a connector - it joins on both sides 5. Very common: طِبّ (medicine), طِفْل (child), لَطِيف (kind), طَلَبَ (he sought)