[tag resources Madd-1-20b]Hamze[/tag] (Arabic hamza) is a glottal stop, exclusive to the Arabic loanwords (more in Phonology). It is pronounced very close to the Cockney pronunciation of /t/ in the word “bottle”; e.g., [tag resources Hamze-1-05a]شیء[/tag] šey’ ‘thing, an object.’

While in Arabic hamza takes a “seat” (Arabic kursi; Persian korsi) as an alef in the initial position (i.e., ,إ ,أ), in Persian a mere alef represents an initial hamze; e.g., [tag resources Hamze-1-09a]اثر[/tag] asar (Arabic أثر aϑar) ‘impression, effect, trace.’

It must be noted that in Persian, any initial vowel or diphthong is accompanied by an alef:
[tag resources Hamze-1-11a]اِیـ[/tag], [tag resources Hamze-1-11b]اُو[/tag], [tag resources Hamze-1-11c]ایـ[/tag], [tag resources Hamze-1-11d]او[/tag], [tag resources Hamze-1-11e]آ[/tag], [tag resources Hamze-1-11f]اُ[/tag], [tag resources Hamze-1-11g]اِ[/tag], [tag resources Hamze-1-11h]اَ[/tag] = a-, e-, o-, ā- (= aa-), u-, i-, ow, ey. For instance:

In the medial position hamze is a carrier and the procedure is as follows:

If the hamze is preceded by a fathe; that is, an /a/ (not necessarily immediately), the korsi would be an alef; e.g., [tag resources Hamze-1-25a]رأی[/tag] ra’y ‘opinion, a vote,’ [tag resources Hamze-1-25b]مَسأله[/tag] mas’ale ‘a problem.’ (Occasionally some Persian writers use a notch instead, as مسئله. It is so common a mistake that the same author may use both variations.)

If the hamze is preceded by a kasre (that is, an /e/), a long [ā], or if it is in initial form (that is, in the medial position, but after و , ژ , ز , ر , ذ , د , ا ), the korsi is a notch; e.g., [tag resources Hamze-1-31a]زائده[/tag] zā’ede ‘a process, protuberance,’ [tag resources Hamze-1-31b]فائده[/tag] fā’ede ‘profit, gain, use,’ [tag resources Hamze-1-32a]اِئتلاف[/tag] e’telāf ‘alliance, coalition,’ [tag resources Hamze-1-32b]اِستئصال[/tag] este’sāl ‘extreme helplessness,’ [tag resources Hamze-1-33a]اِستئناف[/tag] este’nāf ‘appeal.’

In Persian, a hamze of the section [b] type is usually normalized as یـ; for example:

[tag resources Hamze-1-36a]فائده[/tag] ~ fāyede[tag resources Hamze-1-36b]فایده[/tag]
[tag resources Hamze-1-36c]زائده[/tag] ~ zāyede[tag resources Hamze-1-36d]زایده[/tag]
[tag resources Hamze-1-36e]استئناف[/tag] ~ estināf[tag resources Hamze-1-36f]استیناف[/tag]
[tag resources Hamze-1-36h]استئصال[/tag] ~ estisāl[tag resources Hamze-1-36g]استیصال[/tag]

If hamze is preceded by a zamme (that is, an /o/), the korsi would be a و (vāv); e.g., [tag resources Hamze-1-40a]سؤال[/tag] so’āl ‘question.’ Occasionally some writers with a limited orthographic knowledge add a notch before the و , as سئوال; it is important to understand that this variation is incorrect. A notch is used only in the following situation: When this hamze (ؤ) is followed by a و, the ؤ is replaced by a notch; e.g., [tag resources Hamze-2-03a]شئون[/tag] šo’ūn (plural of [tag resources Hamze-2-03b]شأن[/tag] ša’n ‘rank; dignity’).

In terminal position hamze does not take a korsi and always stands alone; e.g., [tag resources Hamze-2-06a]ابداع[/tag] ebdā’ ‘creation, innovation,’ [tag resources Hamze-2-06b]ابتداء[/tag] ebtedā’ ‘the beginning,’ [tag resources Hamze-2-07a]املاء[/tag] emlā’ ‘dictation,’ [tag resources Hamze-2-07b]شیء[/tag] šey’ ‘thing, an object.’

It must be understood that hamze is exclusive to Arabic, and words of Persian origin do not take hamze. Therefore, writing the Persian word [tag resources Hamze-2-10a]آیین[/tag] āyin ‘ritual, custom, ceremony’ for instance as آئین is incorrect.

The same is true in the case of the euphonic [y] used when the Indefinite [i] follows a long [ā], long [ū], or the silent /h/; for example:

[tag resources Hamze-2-13a]پایی بلند[/tag]pāi boland ‘long leg’, never پائی بلند
[tag resources Hamze-2-14a]مویی زیبا[/tag] mui zibā ‘beautiful hair’, never موئی زیبا
[tag resources Hamze-2-14b]خانه یی بزرگ[/tag]xānei bozorg ‘big house’, never خانه ئی بزرگ

In the case of the silent /h/, the variation ای may be—and is widely—used; as in:

خانه ای بزرگ
xānei bozorg
‘big house’
بچّه ای کوچک
baccei kucak
‘small child/kid’

In Persian it is very common to find writers who, as a result of over compensation, confuse the ئـ and the یـ, such that even such words (of Arabic origin) as [tag resources Hamze-2-22a]رئیس[/tag] ra’is ‘chief, principal, head master, etc.’ is occasionally written as رییس. If we understand that the hamze is exclusive to Arabic, then we would not have any problem whatsoever. Words such as [tag resources Hamze-2-22b]غائی[/tag] ,رئیس γā’i ‘final,’ etc. must be written with the hamze.

Remember that hamze is a consonant, hence, in any context, especially in the ezāfe construction (possessive or adjectival), hamze must be treated as a consonant. Therefore: [tag resources Hamze-2-30a]انشاء خوب[/tag] ‘(a) good (written) composition,’ not انشای خوب and انشائی نوشتم, not انشایی نوشتم (this is yet another form of over compensation similar to writing یـ for ئـ).

In colloquial Persian, a final hamze is normally elided. In this case, the word is treated as one ending in a vowel (the vowel preceding the hamze) and in ezāfe construction, an euphonic /y/ is used with them; e.g., [tag resources Hamze-2-34a]اعضاء[/tag] a’zā’ ‘members’ would give …اعضای a:zā-ye…, and [tag resources Hamze-2-35a]ارتفاع[/tag] ertefā’ ‘height’ would give ارتفای این درخت ertefā-ye in deraxt ‘the height of this tree.’ This, however, should not be used in written/formal material or in a well articulated and sophisticated speech.

Words may have a combination of [tag resources ps Madd-1-18d]مدّ[/tag] ,[tag resources ps Madd-1-18c]تشدید[/tag] ,[tag resources ps Madd-1-18b]همزه[/tag] ,[tag resources ps Madd-1-18a]تنوین[/tag] ; e.g.: [tag resources Madd-1-18e]اوّلاً[/tag], in which the و is mošaddad (‘having tašdid’; i.e., ‘geminated’), and the terminal alef has tanvin; [tag resources Hamze-2-40a]تأثّر[/tag], in which there is a combination of hamze and tašdid, etc.

همزه and تنوین are exclusive to Arabic and they may not be used in words of Persian origin. Hence, the erroneous, rather illiterate and unsophisticated usage of such words as دوماً ‘secondly,’ with the Persian number دو, is merely based on analogy with اوّلاً—a word of Arabic origin. In this case, either the Arabic adverbs [tag resources Hamze-2-45c]رابعاً[/tag] ,[tag resources Hamze-2-45b]ثالثاً[/tag] ,[tag resources Hamze-2-45a]ثانیاً[/tag] must be used, or, otherwise, the Persian numbers must be used as follows: [tag resources Hamze-2-46a]نخست[/tag] naxost, noxost ‘first, firstly,’ [tag resources Hamze-3-01a]دوم[/tag] dovom ‘second, secondly,’ [tag resources Hamze-3-01b]سوم[/tag] sevom ‘third, thirdly,’ [tag resources Hamze-3-01c]چهارم[/tag] cahārom ‘fourth, fourthly,’ etc.

Also, bear in mind that the و in Persian numbers دوم dovom and سوم sevom must not be geminated. Therefore, the common pronunciation of these words as [tag resources Hamze-3-04a]دوّم[/tag] dovvom and [tag resources Hamze-3-04b]سوّم[/tag] sevvom is only on analogy with the geminated و in the Arabic اوّل awwal ‘first’ and اوّلاً awwalan ‘firstly’ (Persian avval, avvalan) (that is to say, dovom and sevom, without a geminated [v] are the correct pronunciations).