View source for Modifier letter left half ring

{{Infobox diacritic|char=ʿ
|name=
|unicode={{unichar|02BF|Modifier letter left half ring|html=}}.
|see_also={{unichar|02BE|modifier letter right half ring}}<br>{{unichar|0351|cwith=◌|combining left half ring above}}<br>{{unichar|0357|cwith=◌|combining right half ring above}}
}}

The '''modifier letter left half ring''' ⟨{{char|ʿ}}⟩ is a character of the [[Unicode]] [[Spacing Modifier Letters]] range (although it is not a modifier but a standalone [[grapheme]]).<ref>[https://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U02B0.pdf Spacing Modifier Letters]. ''The Unicode Consortium'', 1991–2022.</ref> It is used in [[romanization]] to transliterate the [[Semitic abjads|Semitic]] letter [[ayin]] after it was used by ''[[The Encyclopedia of Islam]]'' (later the ''[[International Journal of Middle East Studies]]''),<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220208180440/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-middle-east-studies/information/author-resources/ijmes-translation-and-transliteration-guide IJMES Translation and Transliteration Guide]. ''Cambridge University Press.'' Archived from [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-middle-east-studies/information/author-resources/ijmes-translation-and-transliteration-guide the original] on 8 February 2022.</ref> representing the sound [[Voiced pharyngeal fricative|/ʕ/]] (a [[voiced pharyngeal fricative]], as in Arabic ع ''[[ʿayn]]''). In informal contexts, the [[backtick]] ⟨{{char|`}}⟩ or the [[apostrophe]] ⟨{{char|'}}⟩ is commonly used as a substitute.

==See also==
* [[Modifier letter right half ring]]
* [[Half ring]]
* [[Apostrophe]]
* [[Spiritus asper]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Phonetic transcription symbols]]


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