The Curious Case of 'ફ' (pha) vs. 'fa' in Gujarati
Spotting a Common Sound Shift 🕵️♂️ Have you ever noticed how the Gujarati letter ફ (pha) is often pronounced? Increasingly, especially among younger generations or those more exposed to English, I hear it sounding like “fa” – a sound typically made by touching the lower lip to the upper teeth (a labiodental fricative, like the ‘f’ in “fish”). But wait… does Gujarati even have a native “fa” sound or a letter for it? The answer is no! The traditional Gujarati ફ is an aspirated ‘p’ sound, phonetically /pʰ/ . It’s made by bringing both lips together (bilabial), just like for પ (pa), but with an added puff of air, just like how you add a puff of air after saying “બ ba” to produce “ભ bha”. ...