The first letter of the Perso-Arabic alphabet; represents a glottal stop /ʔ/ in initial position or a long vowel /aː/. In Gilaki, alef functions as a vowel carrier; Gilaki has a richer vowel inventory than standard Persian, with back unrounded vowels that are phonemically significant and written using alef in combination with diacritics.
Voiced bilabial stop /b/, like "b" in "bed". One of the base letters of the Perso-Arabic abjad. In Gilaki, /b/ is stable and frequent in native Northwestern Iranian vocabulary. The /b/ phoneme is common in Gilaki root words reflecting the Caspian Iranian substrate distinct from standard Persian.
Voiceless bilabial stop /p/, like "p" in "pen". One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script not found in classical Arabic. In Gilaki, /p/ appears frequently in native vocabulary inherited from Old Iranian; the Gilaki /p/ is distinct and does not commonly undergo spirantisation as in some other Iranian varieties.
Voiceless alveolar stop /t/, like "t" in "top". In Gilaki, both ت and ط are pronounced as plain /t/. The letter ت is very frequent in Gilaki verb conjugation and nominal morphology; Gilaki verbal endings preserve archaic Northwestern Iranian features distinct from the standard Persian paradigm.
Pronounced as /s/ in Gilaki, identical to س. In Classical Arabic ث represents /θ/, but Gilaki — like all Iranian languages — pronounces this as the alveolar fricative /s/. Retained in the spelling of Arabic loanwords found in formal registers of Gilaki writing.
Voiced postalveolar affricate /dʒ/, like "j" in "jam". Consistent in Gilaki phonology; ج appears in both native Gilaki vocabulary and Persian-Arabic loanwords. Some Gilaki dialects may show variation in the realization of /dʒ/ reflecting the diverse linguistic landscape of Gilan Province.
Voiceless postalveolar affricate /tʃ/, like "ch" in "chair". One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script. /tʃ/ is very common in Gilaki native vocabulary; the language has a rich inventory of affricates reflecting its distinct Northwestern Iranian phonological character.
Voiceless pharyngeal fricative /ħ/ in Classical Arabic; in Gilaki this letter is typically pronounced as the plain glottal fricative /h/, merging with ه. Gilaki, like other modern Iranian languages, does not maintain the pharyngeal quality of Arabic /ħ/ in everyday speech.
Voiceless velar fricative /x/, like "ch" in Scottish "loch". Well-preserved in Gilaki and phonemically distinct from /k/ and /h/. خ appears in both native Gilaki vocabulary and in loanwords; the /x/ phoneme is a characteristic feature of Northwestern Iranian languages including Gilaki.
Voiced alveolar stop /d/, like "d" in "dog". A non-connecting letter in the Perso-Arabic script. In Gilaki, /d/ is stable and common. Gilaki preserves certain archaic Iranian consonant distinctions in its native vocabulary that reflect its position as a Caspian Iranian language distinct from both Persian and Kurdish.
Pronounced as /z/ in Gilaki, merging with ز. In Classical Arabic ذ represents /ð/ (like "th" in "that"), but Gilaki — like all modern Iranian languages — pronounces this as the alveolar fricative /z/. Retained in spelling of Arabic loanwords in formal Gilaki texts.
Alveolar trill or tap /r/, like a rolled "r". A non-connecting letter. In Gilaki, the rhotic is generally a flap or trill; some Gilaki dialects show variation between apical and uvular rhotics, reflecting the rich dialectal diversity of the language across Gilan Province.
Voiced alveolar fricative /z/, like "z" in "zoo". A non-connecting letter. In Gilaki, the letters ز، ذ، ض، and ظ all converge on the /z/ pronunciation, following the general Iranian simplification of the Arabic emphatic and interdental consonant series.
Voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/, like "s" in "measure". One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script. /ʒ/ appears in Gilaki vocabulary and is particularly prominent in the language's rich sibilant system; some Gilaki dialects have developed additional sibilant contrasts not found in standard Persian.
Voiceless alveolar fricative /s/, like "s" in "sun". In Gilaki, the three Arabic sibilants ث، س، and ص all merge into this /s/ pronunciation. Highly frequent in both native Gilaki vocabulary and in the substantial Persian-Arabic loanword layer found in modern Gilaki.
Voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/, like "sh" in "ship". Fully preserved in Gilaki and among the most frequent consonants in native vocabulary. The /ʃ/ phoneme is distinctive in Gilaki and participates in morphophonological alternations that characterize the language's rich verbal system.
Emphatic /sˁ/ in Classical Arabic; in Gilaki, this letter is pronounced as plain /s/, merging with س. The pharyngeal emphasis of Arabic ص is not maintained in Gilaki. Retained in the spelling of Arabic loanwords that appear in more formal registers of written Gilaki.
In Gilaki, ض is pronounced as /z/, merging with ز. The historically emphatic Arabic /dˁ/ has merged with /z/ in Gilaki as in all modern Iranian languages. Preserved in writing to reflect the etymological spelling of Arabic loanwords in Gilaki texts.
Emphatic /tˁ/ in Classical Arabic; in Gilaki, this letter is pronounced as plain /t/, merging with ت. Retained in writing to preserve the spelling of Arabic loanwords. Gilaki speakers do not distinguish ط from ت in spoken speech.
Emphatic consonant in Classical Arabic; in Gilaki, ظ is pronounced as /z/ like ذ، ز، and ض. Preserved in writing Arabic-origin vocabulary in formal Gilaki texts; the emphatic quality is not maintained in Gilaki spoken phonology.
Voiced pharyngeal fricative /ʕ/ in Arabic; in Gilaki, ع is typically realised as a glottal stop /ʔ/ or a simple vowel onset, following the general Northwestern Iranian treatment of this Arabic consonant. The pharyngeal quality is not systematically maintained in Gilaki.
Voiced uvular fricative /ɣ/, produced at the back of the throat. Fully preserved in Gilaki and phonemically distinct from /g/ (گ). غ appears in both native Gilaki vocabulary and in Arabic-Persian loanwords, marking an important phonological contrast in the consonant inventory.
Voiceless labiodental fricative /f/, like "f" in "fun". Fully preserved in Gilaki; ف appears in native Iranian vocabulary and in Arabic loanwords. The /f/ phoneme is stable across Gilaki dialects spoken throughout Gilan Province and the adjacent Caspian lowlands.
Voiceless uvular stop /q/ in Classical Arabic; in Gilaki, ق may be realised as the uvular /q/, the velar /k/, or a glottal stop /ʔ/ depending on dialect and register. Gilaki dialectal variation in the realisation of ق reflects the diverse phonological landscape of the language across Gilan.
Voiceless velar stop /k/, like "k" in "key". Distinct from ق (uvular); consistently represents /k/ in Gilaki. The Persian/Dari form ک is used rather than the classical Arabic ك, marking this as an Iranian writing convention. ک is one of the most frequent consonants in native Gilaki vocabulary.
Voiced velar stop /g/, like "g" in "go". One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script. In Gilaki, گ is very common in native vocabulary and participates in important morphophonological processes. The voiced velar stop is a key feature of the Northwestern Iranian consonant inventory.
Lateral alveolar approximant /l/, like "l" in "lamp". Fully preserved in Gilaki; ل participates in the obligatory lam-alef ligature لا in the Perso-Arabic script. The lateral is one of the most frequent consonants in Gilaki vocabulary and participates in various derivational processes.
Bilabial nasal /m/, like "m" in "man". A very common consonant in Gilaki vocabulary; م appears in both native Northwestern Iranian words and Persian-Arabic loanwords. The bilabial nasal is phonologically stable and highly productive in Gilaki morphology, including in key nominal and verbal suffixes.
Alveolar nasal /n/, like "n" in "noon". One of the most frequent consonants in Gilaki; ن appears in native vocabulary and in Persian-Arabic loanwords. The nasal /n/ is particularly prominent in Gilaki verbal morphology, participating in tense and aspect marking in ways that distinguish Gilaki from standard Persian.
In Gilaki, و typically represents the labiodental fricative /v/ or bilabial approximant /w/ depending on dialect and position, following Northwestern Iranian phonological patterns. Also serves as the long vowel /uː/ and the diphthong /ow/. Gilaki has preserved vowel contrasts involving و that have been neutralised in standard Western Persian. A non-connecting letter.
Voiceless glottal fricative /h/, like "h" in "hat". In Gilaki, final ه can represent /h/, /a/, or /e/ following Persian orthographic conventions. The /h/ phoneme appears in both initial and medial positions in Gilaki; in final position it frequently marks nominal endings in the Gilaki case and agreement system.
Palatal approximant /j/ in consonantal position (like "y" in "yes"), or long vowel /iː/ in vocalic position. In Gilaki, ی is highly productive in both consonantal and vocalic roles; Gilaki preserves certain archaic vowel contrasts involving ی that reflect its conservative Northwestern Iranian phonological heritage distinct from standard Persian.
Sambhu Raj Singh ·