ğ vs. għ

[pne]

Random linguistic observation on Turkish ğ and Maltese għ:

• In the written language, they are both represented by something based on the letter g
• They both used to stand for a [ɣ] sound (voiced velar fricative).*
• They are both no longer pronounced as a consonant in the standard language, but their presence lengthens adjacent vowels. Some (rural?) dialects still pronounce this sound as a consonant, though.

I find it interesting that they share those similarities.

* Maltese għ derives from two Arabic sounds: `ayn/ʕayn ع and ghayn/ġayn غ, only the second of which is a voiced velar fricative. (The first is a voiced pharyngeal fricative.) However, the (reflexes of the) two sounds merged in standard Maltese, though I believe there are (or at least, used to be not that long ago) dialects which preserve the distinction and not only pronounce għajn but pronounce it differently depending on whether it's a reflex of `ayn or ghayn.