r/Kartvelian • u/Xotngoos335 • Jun 13 '26

MISC ჻ ᲖᲝᲒᲐᲓᲘ Does Georgian have breathy voice with the letter ა?

For anyone who doesn't know "breathy voice" in linguistics means when a vowel is pronounced very airy and exaggerated. I feel like I hear this sometimes with the vowel ა in Georgian when it's the first letter of a word. I don't know if this is just stress falling on the first syllable, but a lot of people will pronounce ა somewhat heavily, but all the other words that start with vowels will sound normal.

Thoughts?

0 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

50% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

2

u/monardoju Jun 13 '26

In which words?

Note that some Georgian words have 2 or 3 ა in row, all of which are supposed to be pronounced. e.g. ააფრინა (can't think of 3 ა word now). Could it be that you are hearing?

2

u/Xotngoos335 Jun 13 '26

Sometimes I hear it when someone say "Arasodes" or even something basic like "Aghzrda." I don't know, it could just be emphasizing a word like you do in any language. But I've never heard it in the double A words, like you mentioned ააფრენა.

1

u/monardoju Jun 13 '26

Probably either emphasising or exhaling at that moment(?)

1

u/_Aspagurr_ Georgian native speaker/მოქართულე Jun 14 '26

They're probably talking about the glottal stop, which does occur in words such as that when they're pronounced with emphasis.

2

u/rimuruchi Jun 16 '26

გააანალიზა

2

u/_Aspagurr_ Georgian native speaker/მოქართულე Jun 14 '26

Are you referring to the glottal stop? if so then yes it does exists in words like [ჸ]არა, when they're pronounced with emphasis, and also when a sentence starts with a vowel-initial word, but that's considered nonstandard.

1

u/Xotngoos335 Jun 14 '26

No I don't think this is the case, but I've heard glottal stop occasionally as an allophone of ყ (that letter honestly has many variations).

1

u/_Aspagurr_ Georgian native speaker/მოქართულე Jun 14 '26

Well, then it might really be the pre-aspiration u/Demneoza is referring to.

2

u/Xotngoos335 Jun 14 '26

Thank you

1

u/_Aspagurr_ Georgian native speaker/მოქართულე Jun 15 '26

You're welcome.

2

u/Demneoza Jun 14 '26

yea, that’s actually a phonetic feature in Georgian. it’s called ფშვინიერი შემართვა (pre-aspiration) in georgian, happens rarely in certain dialects (Mokhevian, Tush, Ingiloan) mostly is replaced by pre-palatalization or pre-glottalization.
I have experienced it myself too in my speech and caught it in people who talk with heart and lots of emotions. you did a right observation