Sz is a digraph of the Latin alphabet, used in Hungarian and Polish. In German, it has contracted to the ligature ß, and represents /s/ after "long" vowels.
In Polish
In the Polish alphabet, sz represents a voiceless retroflex fricative (/ʂ/ ), similar to English "sh". It is known as "hard sh" and should not be confused with ś (or s followed by i), termed "soft sh", a voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative (/ɕ/).
Examples of sz
obszar (help·info) (area, territory)
płaszcz (help·info) (coat, cloak)
Compare ś:
świeca (help·info) (candle)
iść (help·info) (to go)
sierpień (help·info) (August)
In Hungarian
Sz is the thirty-second letter of the Hungarian alphabet. Its name is (using English pronunciation with letter romanization) "ess" in the alphabet. It represents /s/. Thus, names like Liszt are pronounced "list" /lɪst/.
In Hungarian, even if two characters are put together to make a different sound, they are considered one letter (a true digraph), and even acronyms keep the letter intact.
It should be noted that in Hungarian s represents /ʃ/ (a sound similar to /ʂ/), which is why the correct pronunciation of Budapest is really "BU-dah-pesht" (/budɑpɛʃt/).
Examples
- These examples are Hungarian words that use the letter sz, with the English translation following.
- szabó = tailor
- szép = beautiful
- szikla = rock
- szőke = blonde
- szülő = parent
See also
en:Sz
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