They start with 'ap, 'el, 'ig, 'um, where the apostrophe is the tiniest catch in the throat. You can pronounce them without the catch, but to our ears the diffe

They start with 'ap, 'el, 'ig, 'um, where the apostrophe is the tiniest catch in the throat. You can pronounce them without the catch, but to our ears the difference is inaudible, because we don't make a distinction. Arabs do.