ż#Maltese

File:Straż Miejska.JPG ({{lang|pl|Straż Miejska}}) cars uses both the standard form (Ż, on the door) and the variant with horizontal stroke (Ƶ, on the roof sign)]]

File:Etykieta piwa Żubr.jpg beer - crossed variant of the letter Ż: Ƶ]]

In the Polish language, ż is the final, 32nd letter of the alphabet. It typically represents the voiced retroflex fricative ({{IPA|[ʐ]}}), somewhat similar to the pronunciation of {{angle bracket|g}} in "mira{{strong|g}}e"; however, in a word-final position or when followed by a voiceless obstruent, it is devoiced to the voiceless retroflex fricative ({{IPA|[ʂ]}}).

Its pronunciation is the same as that of the digraph {{angle bracket|rz}}, except that {{angle bracket|rz}} (unlike {{angle bracket|ż}}) also undergoes devoicing when preceded by a voiceless obstruent. The difference in spelling comes from their historical pronunciations: ż originates from a palatalized {{IPA|/ɡ/}} or {{IPA|/z/}}, while {{angle bracket|rz}} evolved from a palatalized {{angle bracket|r}}.{{cite book|last1=Corbett|first1=Greville|last2=Comrie|first2=Bernard|title=The Slavonic Languages|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=euI4CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA690|year=2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-86137-6|page=690|quote= The spelling difference reflects the historical difference between a palatalization of /r/ (for rz) and of /g/ or /z/ (for ż).}}

The letter was originally introduced in 1513 by Stanisław Zaborowski in his book Ortographia.Edward Polański. {{lang|pl|italic=no|"Reformy ortografii polskiej – wczoraj, dziś, jutro"}}. {{lang|pl|Biuletyn Polskiego Towarzystwa Językoznawczego}}, vol. 60, p. 31. 2004. Warsaw: Energeia. {{ISSN|0032-3802}}. {{in lang|pl}}

Occasionally, the letter Ƶ ƶ (Z with a horizontal stroke) is used instead of Ż ż for aesthetic purposes, especially in all-caps text and handwriting.

Kashubian ż is a voiced fricative like in Polish, but it is postalveolar ({{IPAblink|ʒ}}) rather than retroflex.

File:Malta - Zurrieq - Triq Sant' Andrija 01 ies.jpg in Malta]]

In Maltese, ż represents the voiced alveolar sibilant {{IPA|[z]}}, pronounced like "z" in English "ma{{strong|z}}e". This contrasts with the letter {{angle bracket|z}}, which represents the voiceless alveolar sibilant affricate {{IPA|[ts]}}, like in the word "ha{{strong|ts}}". The corresponding letter in Arabic in this Maltese letter is {{lang|ar|ز}}.

In Emilian-Romagnol, ż represents the voiced dental fricative {{IPA|[ð]}}, pronounced like "th" in English "{{strong|th}}is".{{Cite web|url=https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/italian/italian-vocabulary/emilian-dialect/|title=Emilian Dialect: Origins, Varieties | StudySmarter|website=StudySmarter UK}}

• Ź and Ž
• Polish alphabet
• Polish phonology
• Dot (diacritic)

{{Latin script}}

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Category:Latin letters with diacritics

Category:Maltese language

Z-d

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