It's the famous how is ka pronounced, some spell it phonetically as
ka, others ga, I think the answer is somewhere between. It also
depends how ka is pronounced in a specific language, English ka is
very soft, while in Finnish has a very strong pronounciation.

Are there any web sites with samples of the sound so David could hear
it in real life, in addition to try to find a native speaking Tibetan
or someone who speaks good Tibetan?

There's always the Geshe Roach video with the letters pronounced, I
might have one back home and could make copies in case someone is
interested (just takes a while to find stuff in my studio nowadays).
--Kent


On 12/18/06, David Gordon <dgordon4@...> wrote:
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> I have just begun to learn the alphabet and am already confused by what
> appears to be a contradiction in the sound of the first gutteral. From
> previous study I had learned that that letter was "ka," but in Joe
> Wilson's Translating Buddhism from Tibetan the first gutteral is
> indicated as "ga."
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> Any clarification of this apparent discrepancy would be greatly
> appreciated.
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> Thank you,
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> David Gordon
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