Gheada

Gheada (IPA: [ħeˈaðɐ]) is a term in Galician to describe the debuccalisation of the voiced velar stop /ɡ/ to a, usually voiceless, back fricative, most often a voiceless pharyngeal fricative [ħ].

Although it is found throughout Galicia, its use is declining in Lugo and eastern Ourense, and it is rarely encountered in education or broadcasting. While it is neither considered incorrect nor stigmatised, it is generally considered appropriate only for familiar rather than formal domains.^[1]

Occasionally, the sound is articulated as a voiceless velar fricative [x], as in Castilian jamón.