ICCH halaqa- Articulation points (The tongue#1)

3- ARTICULATION POINTS OF THE TONGUE:

There are 10 different articulation points in the tongue with 18 letters coming from those 10 points

AREAS OF THE TONGUE USED FOR ARTICULATION

There are four areas of the tongue used for articulation.  The deepest part, the middle, the sides, and the tip.  The following picture helps pinpoint these areas.

1- ARTICULATION POINTS OF THE DEEPEST PART OF THE TONGUE

There are two letters that use the deepest part of the tongue in articulation.  They are and .

Is articulated from the deepest part of the tongue and what lies opposite to it from the roof of the mouth in the area of the soft palate.

Is articulated from the deepest part of the tongue and what lies opposite to it from the roof of the mouth in the area of the hard palate.  This letter is closer to the mouth than the.

COMMON MISTAKES IN THESE LETTERS 

The non-Arab has more than a few common mistakes with these two letters.  The first letter,is not a common letter in other languages, and even the Arabs have substituted this letter for others in different colloquial Arabic dialects. 
There are two mistakes in articulating this when reciting the Qur’an.  Usually it is a problem in the articulation point.  Either the letter is articulated on the hard palate or close to it, so it ends up sounding like an English “k”, or the letter is pronounced not from the tongue, but from the throat, and the resultant incorrect sound is a cross between a 

and a  .  

is often mispronounced at an articulation point further back in the mouth than the correct articulation point.  The resultant letter is often closer to athan the correct desired sound. 

2- MIDDLE OF THE TONGUE

Three letters use the middle of the tongue for their articulation.  They are ,, and the 

These three letters are articulated from the middle of the tongue and what lies opposite to it from the roof of the mouth.  This means the middle of the tongue collides with the roof of the mouth when these letters are articulated without a vowel. The ya’ here is not the medd letter ya’, which was previously stated to be articulated from the non specific area of the empty space in the throat and mouth.  The medd letter ya’ is a ya’ saakinah preceded by a kasrah, NOT a fath.  When the ya’ saakinah is preceded by a fath, this currently discussed articulation point is used. 

COMMON MISTAKES IN THESE LETTERS

The mistakes that may occur with these letters tend to more in the area of characteristics than in the specific articulation point, but not exclusively so.  The is often mispronounced by Arabs and non Arabs alike, with a running of the sound, like the French “j”.  This letter, in Arabic, is a strong letter, and there is imprisonment of the running of the sound, and imprisonment of the running of air.  To pronounce it correctly, first make sure the middle of the tongue is being used, and not the anterior portion of the tongue, then concentrate on not letting any sound and air run out when saying the letter.

can be articulated incorrectly, especially by those with a significant overbite.  Those that may have an overbite have to take the extra measure of protruding the lower jaw until the bottom and top teeth are aligned.  It may take a little practice, but is indeed possible to pronounce it correctly, even with the overbite.  There is a lot of air that fills the mouth and runs out with this letter. Westerners sometimes pronounce this like the English “sh”, which has a more forward position than the Arabic .

The sometimes mistakenly is articulated with an accompanying running of air.  This letter should not have air running with it, so care needs to be taken to control the air and suppress its excessive outward flow.

الحرف	المخرج	الصفات
القاف	أقصى اللسان اقرب للحلق	(صوته عالى) – (زمنه قصير)  - مفخم- مقلق
الكاف	أقصى اللسان امام مخرج القاف و ادخل للفم من القاف	(صوته منخفض) – شديد (زمنه قصير) فى اوله ومهموس فى اخره - مرقق
الجيم	وسط اللسان مع الحنك الاعلى	(صوته عالى) – (زمنه قصير)  - مرقق- مقلق
الشين	وسط اللسان مع الحنك الاعلى	(صوته منخفض)- (زمنه طويل) - مرقق
الياء غير المديه (اللينه)	وسط اللسان مع الحنك الاعلى	(صوته عالى )- (زمنه طويل) - مرقق

Characters	Makhrag	Letters
Gahr (loud voice) - Strong (Short time) - Heavy	Deep part of the tongue	ق
Hams at the end (soft voice) – Strong in the beginning (short time) - Light	Deep part of the tongue in front of the Qaf	ك
Gahr (loud voice)- Strong (Short time) - light	Middle part of the tongue	ج
Hams (soft voice) - Weak (long time) - Light	Middle part of the tongue	ش
Gahr (Loud voice) - Weak (long time)- Light	Middle part of the tongue	ي