Gheada

Gheada is a linguistic phenomenon of Galician which consists of pronouncing the phoneme /g/ (voiced velar occlusive or fricative) as /ħ/ (voiceless pharyngeal fricative) or, more commonly, /h/ (voiceless glottal fricative), similar to the [h] in English "house". In certain coastal areas as well as some urban and suburban areas, it may even approach /x/ (voiceless velar fricative), similar to the sound written in Spanish as "j".

Gheada is dominant, extending throughout the western half of the Galician-speaking region, in the Spanish provinces of Corunna, Pontevedra, the westernmost part of Lugo, and the western half of Ourense. It is becoming less used, however, possibly due to pressure from Spanish, and is diminishing in Lugo and Ourense with time.

Orthographic representation

To indicate this pronunciation, for example in written dialogue, eye dialect is sometimes used, rendering the phoneme with the digraph "gh". For example:

* gato ("cat") --> ghato ['ħato]
* pago ("payment") --> pagho ['paħo]

ee also

*Seseo

External links

* [http://www.galespa.com.ar/gheadaseseo.htm Map of gheada and seseo use in Galician-speaking areas]
* [http://www.lingref.com/cpp/wss/3/paper1527.pdf The Use of Gheada in Three Generations of Women from Carballo, A Coruña] by Juan Antonio Thomas, the University at Albany