The Letter Ṭaa` (طاء) : A Journey from Abundance to Dominance
The letter Ṭaa’ " طاء " is, in my opinion, the easiest sound among the set of challenging Arabic letters. However, it is one of the Arabic letters characterized as being an exclusively original sound of the Semitic languages. Arabic has managed to keep the pure sound of the letter because of the Quran and, even before that, the old Arabic language of poetry. Anatomy of the Letter If we break down the sound of "ط" , we can simply say that it is a heavy, emphatic variation of the standard sound T, and that’s it. To pronounce the letter, you simply place the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth, unlike the sound of T where you place the tip of the tongue against the upper teeth. This creates a heavy sound, which is the goal for the Arabic "ط " . Is the Sound of "ط" Exclusive to Semitic Languages That being said, since ط is an exclusively original sound of the Semitic languages (Arabic, Aramaic, old Hebrew, and Ethiopian Am...
