17.2.1: The sound of ‘fe’

It is important to pronounce the sound of ‘fe’, represented by ‘f’, correctly. It is often confused with the sound of ‘ph’ as in the Hindi words - “फन”, “फाल” etc. Listen to these sounds by clicking on the speaker icons below:

Above: Comparative illustrating the difference in the pronunciation of the sounds ‘f’ and ‘ph’

If you listen to the sounds presented above carefully, the distinction should be quite clear. It is important to understand this difference for if wrongly pronounced, the word being said may take upon a different meaning. Here are a few examples of this:

Above: Words take upon different meanings owing to the difference in pronunciation of ‘f’ and ‘ph’

16.2.2: The sound of ‘qaaf’

And once again, it is important to pronounce the sound of ‘qaaf’, represented by ‘q’, correctly. It is often confused with the sound of ‘k’ as in the English words “kite”, “back” etc. or as in the Hindi words - “काला”, “ताक” etc.

Above: Comparative illustrating the difference in the pronunciation of the sounds ‘q’ and ‘k’

If you listen to the sounds presented above carefully, the distinction should be quite clear. It is important to understand this difference for if wrongly pronounced, the word may take upon a different meaning. Here are a few examples of this:

Above: Words take upon different meanings owing to the difference in pronunciation of ‘q’ and ‘k’

NOTE

It is important that the ‘q’ sound be pronounced correctly. It is strongly recommended that this be practised regularly in the company of someone who is fluent in the correct pronunciation of this sound.

And now, let’s go ahead and create some words with these two letters.