Pronunciation of 'g' as in keizaigaku

[rayphoenix3477]

I am very confused by the "g" sound in romaji keizaigaku ... I've noticed that "g" is pronounced differently sometimes, and would like instruction on that.

The pronunciation from today's lesson at:

http://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-phrases/07142013

http://wlstaging.languagepod101.com/wor ... 891772.mp3

sounds (to me) like kaizainaku (naku vs gaku)

Another pronunciation, from the "economics" entry at

http://www.saiga-jp.com/cgi-bin/dic.cgi ... 0870_31325

http://www.saiga-jp.com/dic/sound/g1/e5 ... aigaku.wav

sounds (to me) like kaizaizaku (zaku vs naku or gaku)

Is the variation due to regional differences in pronunciation?

How do I know when "g" is to be pronounced more like "guh", and when like "nuh", and is there ever a time when it is actually pronounced "zuh"?

I love japanesepod101, and very much appreciate the daily lessons.

[mmmason8967]

It's a nasal 'g' and it's a common pronunciation: I think it's regarded as the correct pronunciation and is the one preferred by newsreaders on TV and radio. However, I understand that it's becoming less common, particularly among young people.

Only the 'g' within words is pronounced nasally; the 'g' at the start of words is pronounced the same way an English speaker would say it. I find it quite difficult to do: if you want to try it, start off with words containing 'ng' as this is easier to nasalise than a 'g' on its own (for example, ringo, an apple).

マイケル

[community.japanese]

rayphoenix3477-san, マイケルsan,
it seems there're several threads with this exact issue.
Thank you very much for the help, マイケルさん
The perfect explanation was already given, so if you have more questions,
please feel free to post!

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com