Английская Википедия:Egyptian Arabic phonology
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:More citations needed Шаблон:IPA notice This article is about the phonology of Egyptian Arabic, also known as Cairene Arabic or Masri.[1] It deals with the phonology and phonetics of Egyptian Arabic as well as the phonological development of child native speakers of the dialect. To varying degrees, it affects the pronunciation of Literary Arabic by native Egyptian Arabic speakers, as is the case for speakers of all other varieties of Arabic.
Phonemes
Consonants
- Шаблон:Note Emphatic consonants are not commonly pronounced by illiterate speakers, which suggests that they are foreign and borrowed from Literary Arabic.
- Шаблон:Note Many Egyptians cannot pronounce Шаблон:IPA, which are mostly found in names or loanwords from languages like English, French and Persian, not Literary Arabic.Шаблон:Sfnp
- Шаблон:IPAblink, which can come from the deaffrication of foreign Шаблон:IPAslink) in Egyptianized loanwords, tends to merge with Шаблон:IPAblink. For example, Шаблон:Lang ('garage') is mostly pronounced Шаблон:IPA, even by educated speakers.Шаблон:Citation needed
- Шаблон:Note A few rural speakers away from Cairo pronounce this Шаблон:IPAblink instead of Шаблон:IPAblink,Шаблон:Citation needed but doing so in native vocabulary is not considered prestigious.
- Шаблон:Note Шаблон:Harvcoltxt argues that emphatic Шаблон:IPA are additional consonants in Egyptian Arabic with marginal status.
- Шаблон:Note Шаблон:IPA appear in borrowings from Literary Arabic with Шаблон:IPA. In inherited words, the two phonemes regularly became Шаблон:IPA respectively.
- Non-Egyptianized loanwords with Шаблон:IPAslink may be Egyptianized to Шаблон:IPAblink or if approximated to Шаблон:IPAblink in a word having an open vowel, the front vowel Шаблон:IPAslink is backed to Шаблон:IPAblink.
- Шаблон:IPA in borrowings from Literary Arabic are realized as Шаблон:IPA. A few words with original Шаблон:IPA became with Шаблон:IPA, e.g. from the triliteral root ض-ب-ط as in Шаблон:Lang turned to Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:IPA, "police/military officer".
- Non-Egyptianized loanwords having interdental consonants (Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink) are approximated to the sibilants Шаблон:IPAblink, Шаблон:IPAblink.
Traditionally, the interdental consonants Шаблон:IPA correspond to the Egyptian Arabic alveolar consonants Шаблон:IPA.Шаблон:Citation needed This is a feature common to some North African Arabic varieties and is attested in pre-modern, inherited words:
- Шаблон:IPA > Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPA ('fox') from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang (never *Шаблон:IPA). Likewise: Шаблон:IPA ('ice') from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:IPA ('price') from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:IPA ('three') from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:IPA ('plough') from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang, and Шаблон:IPA ('tripped') from *Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang.
- Шаблон:IPA > Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPA ('tail') from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang and never Шаблон:IPA. Likewise Шаблон:IPA ('male') from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:IPA ('lied') from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang, and Шаблон:IPA ('wolf') from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang.
- Шаблон:IPA > Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPA ('nail') from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang (never *Шаблон:IPA). Likewise Шаблон:IPA > Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPA ('darkness'), from Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang; Шаблон:IPA ('bone'), from عظم Шаблон:IPA.
However, unlike other North African varieties, in Egyptian Arabic, the Literary Arabic interdental consonants Шаблон:IPA may correspond to sibilant consonants Шаблон:IPA, particularly in more recent learned borrowings.Шаблон:Sfnp
- Шаблон:IPA > Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPA ('revolution'), from Literary Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang
- Шаблон:IPA > Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPA ('broadcasting'), from Literary Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang
- Шаблон:IPA > Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPA ('clitoris'), from Literary Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:Lang
The correspondent phoneme of the Classical Arabic Шаблон:Transl, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:IPA, is realized as a velar in the dialect of Cairo, in the same way as it is in some Arabic dialects of southern Yemen.Шаблон:Sfnp Thus, Шаблон:Transl Шаблон:Lang ('mountain') is pronounced, even in Literary Arabic, as Шаблон:IPA rather than Шаблон:IPA.
The linguist Janet C. E. Watson considers the following to be additional marginal consonants:Шаблон:Sfnp
- The emphatic rhotic Шаблон:IPA in some native words, such as Шаблон:IPA ('my cows', Шаблон:IPA being 'cows'), which contrasts with Шаблон:IPA ('cow-like, of cows', a derived adjective). Additionally, in loanwords from European languages, such as Шаблон:IPA ('parachute').
- The labial emphatics Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA also in loanwords; minimal pairs include Шаблон:IPA ('patriarch') vs Шаблон:IPA ('Paopi').
Classical Arabic *Шаблон:IPAslink became Шаблон:IPAblink in Cairo and the Nile Delta (a feature also shared with Levantine Arabic),Шаблон:Sfnp but Шаблон:IPAslink is retained natively in some dialects to the west of the Nile Delta, outside of Alexandria,Шаблон:Sfnp and has been reintroduced as a marginal phoneme from Standard Arabic, particularly relating to certain religious words,Шаблон:Sfnp besides others such as those deriving from the root Шаблон:IPA, relating to the intellect and culture. Шаблон:IPA may be used to distinguish between homophones, at least in mildly careful speech. For example, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:IPA may be disambiguated as Шаблон:IPA ('law') vs. Шаблон:IPA ('kanun, a musical instrument'); Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:IPA as Шаблон:IPA ('strong') or the colloquial adverb Шаблон:IPA ('very').[2] Шаблон:IPAslink,[3] Шаблон:IPAslink,[4] and Шаблон:IPAslink appear in loanwords such as Шаблон:IPA ('jacket').[5]
Allophones
Assimilation
- Pharyngeal consonants before Шаблон:IPAslink:
- The sequence Шаблон:IPA is more commonly pronounced Шаблон:IPA, especially outside of careful speech.Шаблон:Citation needed For example, Шаблон:IPA ('opened it(feminine)') → Шаблон:IPA.
- The sequence Шаблон:IPA is more commonly pronounced Шаблон:IPA (or sometimes Шаблон:IPA), especially outside of careful speech.Шаблон:Citation needed For example, Шаблон:IPA ('hers') → Шаблон:IPA or Шаблон:IPA.
- Velar fricatives before Шаблон:IPAslink:
- Шаблон:IPA → Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPA ('her brain') → Шаблон:IPA
- Шаблон:IPA → Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPA ('[he] scolded her') → Шаблон:IPA
- Шаблон:IPAslink before Шаблон:IPAslink:
- Often, the sequence of Шаблон:IPA assimilates to Шаблон:IPA.
- Examples: Шаблон:IPA ('guilt') → Шаблон:IPA; Шаблон:IPA ('tube') → Шаблон:IPA; Шаблон:IPA ('Allenby') → Шаблон:IPA.[note 1]
- Often, the sequence of Шаблон:IPA assimilates to Шаблон:IPA.
- Sibilant consonants before Шаблон:IPAslink:
- Word-finally:
- The sequences Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA are more commonly pronounced Шаблон:IPA, especially outside of careful speech.Шаблон:Citation needed For example, Шаблон:IPA ('didn't kiss') → Шаблон:IPA
- The sequences Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA are more commonly pronounced Шаблон:IPA.Шаблон:Citation needed For example, Шаблон:IPA ('wasn't corrupt') → Шаблон:IPA.
- Intervocalic:
- Шаблон:IPA → Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPA ('Chipsy sac') → Шаблон:IPA
- Word-finally:
Voicing and devoicing
For some speakers, there is a voicing and devoicing assimilation for the following consonants:
- The sequence Шаблон:IPA is more commonly pronounced Шаблон:IPA. For example, Шаблон:IPA ('didn't montage') → Шаблон:IPA.
- Voiced: Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink.
- Devoiced: Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink; Шаблон:IPAslink → Шаблон:IPAblink.
When the input consonants are plosives differing only in voicing, the resultant assimilation will be complete.
- Examples on voicing assimilation: Шаблон:IPA ('he/it confused') → Шаблон:IPA; Шаблон:IPA ('outrun') → Шаблон:IPA; Шаблон:IPA ('suspected') → Шаблон:IPA; Шаблон:IPA ('utter') → Шаблон:IPA; Шаблон:IPA ('annoyed') → Шаблон:IPA, a complete assimilation.
- Examples of devoicing assimilation: Шаблон:IPA ('society') → Шаблон:IPA; Шаблон:IPA ('ask forgiveness [of God]') → Шаблон:IPA; Шаблон:IPA ('took') → Шаблон:IPA, a complete assimilation.
Vowels
The Egyptian Arabic vocalic system differs from Classical Arabic. The system of vowels is as follows:
The short vowels Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA are realized as Шаблон:IPAblink and Шаблон:IPAblink respectively at the end of a word. The vowel Шаблон:IPAblink is mostly from non-Semitic words if not in words with emphatic consonants.
The symbols Шаблон:Angbr IPA and Шаблон:Angbr IPA represent vowels that vary between close-mid Шаблон:IPA and near-close Шаблон:IPA. Their centralized allophones (transcribed with Шаблон:Angbr IPA and Шаблон:Angbr IPA) have the same variable height: Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA.
The final allophone of Шаблон:IPA varies in height between close Шаблон:IPAblink and close-mid Шаблон:IPAblink (Шаблон:IPA when centralized). For the sake of simplicity, only Шаблон:Angbr IPA and Шаблон:Angbr IPA are used in this section.
| Long vowels (always stressed) |
| Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPAblink |
| Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPAblink |
| Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPAblink |
| Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPAblink |
| Шаблон:IPA: Шаблон:IPAblink, Шаблон:IPAblink |
Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA are close-mid Шаблон:IPA.
| Шаблон:Center |
| Шаблон:Center |
| Шаблон:Center |
| Шаблон:Center |
| Шаблон:Center |
| Шаблон:Center |
| Шаблон:Center |
| Шаблон:Center |
The phonemes Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA are in the process of splitting into two phonemes each, resulting in the four Egyptian Arabic phonemes Шаблон:IPA. The front and back variants alternate in verbal and nominal paradigms in ways that are largely predictable, but the back variants Шаблон:IPA occur unpredictably in some lexical stems, especially those of non-Semitic origin. This is discussed more below.
Vowels Шаблон:IPAblink and Шаблон:IPAblink are often regarded as allophones of the vowels Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA respectively instead of constituting separate vowel phonemes; so they cannot form minimal pairs. For further discussion regarding vowel allophony in Egyptian Arabic, see Шаблон:Harvnb. Also Watson does not consider the short mid vowels Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA as phonemes on their own and says that they are not used by most speakers of Cairene.Шаблон:Sfnp Woidich argues that educated speakers of Cairene when pronouncing carefully and slowly tend to distinguish short Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA as the results of shortened Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA from short Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA which leads to minimal pairs between them, but stresses that this does not happen with normal speech tempo.Шаблон:Sfnp
Шаблон:IPAblink and Шаблон:IPAblink are derived from the Classical Arabic diphthongs Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA, respectively, when occurring in closed syllables (i.e. not followed by a vowel). Note that the diphthongs Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA also occur in the same environment, due to later deletion of unstressed vowels and resulting contraction, e.g. Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:IPA ('consultation') from Classical Шаблон:IPA.Шаблон:Sfnp Minimal pairs such as Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:IPA ('carrying fem. sg.' and Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:IPA ('burden') also occur. Both of these words are derived from Шаблон:IPA; Шаблон:IPA is the phonologically regular outcome, while Шаблон:IPA is an analogical reformation based on the corresponding participial form Шаблон:IPA of other verbs of the same class.
Egyptian Arabic maintains in all positions the early post-Classical distinctions between short Шаблон:IPAslink and Шаблон:IPAslink. Unlike, for example, Levantine Arabic dialects, which merge Шаблон:IPAslink and Шаблон:IPAslink into Шаблон:IPAblink in most positions, and Moroccan Arabic, which deletes Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink and Шаблон:IPAslink in all positions. In particular, note the different shapes and vowel distinctions between Шаблон:IPA ('book') and Шаблон:IPA ('beautiful' pl.) vs. Шаблон:IPA ('camels') and Шаблон:IPA ('he chose'); in most Levantine dialects, all the short vowels in these words are elided, leading to the identical shapes Шаблон:IPA, Шаблон:IPA, Шаблон:IPA.
An epenthetic vowel is automatically inserted after the second of three or more consonants in a cluster to break up such clusters. The epenthetic vowel is analyzed as Шаблон:IPAslink, even though there is a minimal pair distinguishing in many cases between Шаблон:IPAblink and Шаблон:IPAblink, leading to:
- Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:IPA ('a beautiful girl')
- Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:IPA ('my girl is beautiful')
Emphasis spreading
Many spoken Arabic varieties have developed two allophones of the Classical Arabic vowels Шаблон:IPAslink and Шаблон:IPAslink, with fronted allophones Шаблон:IPA occurring in most circumstances, but backed allophones Шаблон:IPA occurring in the vicinity of emphatic consonants. This process is known as emphasis spreading. The exact criteria of both "vicinity" and "emphatic consonant" varies depending on the individual speech variety. In Egyptian Arabic, the occurrence of Шаблон:IPA is no longer completely predictable, suggesting that these sounds have become phonemicized or inherited from the Coptic language, the former language of Egypt; but see below for more discussion.
In Egyptian Arabic, the consonants that trigger emphasis spreading include the pharyngealized consonants Шаблон:IPA, the Шаблон:Lcons Шаблон:Lcons Шаблон:IPAslink, and some instances of Шаблон:IPAslink (see below). On the other hand, the pharyngeal consonants Шаблон:IPA do not trigger emphasis spreading; in the prestigious Cairene dialect, the Шаблон:Lcons fricatives Шаблон:IPA also do not, although this is different in the Saidi variant in which they are Шаблон:Lcons Шаблон:IPA.
In general, when emphasis spreading is triggered, the back variants Шаблон:IPA spread both forward and backward throughout the phonological word, including any morphological prefixes, suffixes and clitics. Note that this is different from many other Arabic varieties. For example, in Moroccan Arabic, emphasis spreading usually travels no farther than the first full vowel on either side of the triggering consonant, and in many varieties of Levantine Arabic, emphasis spreading is of indefinite extent but is blocked by the phonemes Шаблон:IPA. Nevertheless, emphasis spreading is not completely reliable, and there is some free variation, especially in the pronunciation of prefixes and suffixes at some distance from the triggering consonant.
Some instances of Шаблон:IPAslink trigger emphasis spreading, while others do not. Originally, an Шаблон:IPAslink adjacent to Шаблон:IPAslink was considered non-emphatic, while others were emphatic and triggered emphasis spreading. Currently, however, this is no more than a rough guideline, as many exceptions have since developed. This situation has led the linguist Janet C. E. Watson, who mostly studied the Yemeni Arabic dialects, to postulate the existence of two phonemes Шаблон:IPA, which both surface as Шаблон:IPA but where only Шаблон:IPAslink triggers emphasis spreading. This analysis is not completely ideal in that these two resulting "phonemes" Шаблон:IPA alternate to a large extent (often unpredictably) in related forms derived from the same root.
Currently, to the extent that the emphatic or non-emphatic variant of Шаблон:IPAslink can be predicted, it works as follows: If Шаблон:IPAslink is adjacent to a vowel Шаблон:IPA, emphasis-spreading is inhibited; otherwise, it occurs. The Шаблон:IPAslink is able to "see across" derivational but not inflectional morphemes. As an example, Шаблон:IPA ('commerce') and Шаблон:IPA ('you grow' masc.) both have emphasis spreading, since Шаблон:IPAslink occurs adjacent to low Шаблон:IPA but not adjacent to any non-low front vowel. On the other hand, of the derived forms Шаблон:IPA ('commercial') and Шаблон:IPA ('you grow' fem.), only the latter has emphasis spreading. In this case, the derivational suffix Шаблон:IPA ('related to') creates a new lexical item in the language's vocabulary, and hence the stem is reevaluated for emphasis, with the non-low front vowel Шаблон:IPA triggering non-emphatic Шаблон:IPAslink; but the inflectional suffix Шаблон:IPA marking feminine singular does not create a new lexical item, and as a result the emphasis in the stem remains. (For these purposes, past and non-past forms of a verb are considered separate stems; hence alternations can occur like Шаблон:IPA 'he continued' vs. Шаблон:IPA 'he continues'.)
An emphasis-spreading Шаблон:IPAslink is usually adjacent to a low vowel Шаблон:IPA (which in turn is backed to Шаблон:IPA), but that is not necessary, and Шаблон:IPA also triggers emphasis-spreading: Examples Шаблон:IPA ('famous') → Шаблон:IPA, Шаблон:IPA ('project') → Шаблон:IPA, Шаблон:IPA ('thin') → Шаблон:IPA.
The alternation between Шаблон:IPAblink and Шаблон:IPAblink is almost completely predictable in verbal and nominal paradigms, as well as in the large majority of words derived from Classical Arabic. It is also irrelevant for the operation of the numerous phonological adjustment rules (e.g. vowel lengthening, shortening and elision) in Egyptian Arabic. As a result, linguistic descriptions tend to subsume both under an archiphoneme Шаблон:IPA. On the other hand, there are a number of lexical items in which "autonomous" Шаблон:IPA tend to occur irrespective of the presence of emphatic consonants. A few are in Aramaic-derived words, e.g. Шаблон:IPA ('water'), but the majority are in words of non-Semitic origin — especially those derived from European languages — where Шаблон:IPA echo the vowel quality of Шаблон:IPA in those languages.
Different authors have proposed differing phonemic analyses of this situation:
- Some go ahead and treat all occurrences of Шаблон:IPA as separate phonemes, despite the additional complexity of the resulting morphological descriptions;
- Some treat only "autonomous" occurrences of Шаблон:IPA as phonemes Шаблон:IPA, with all the rest subsumed under Шаблон:IPA;
- Some have created new emphatic consonants (e.g. analyzing Шаблон:IPA as Шаблон:IPA, where underlying Шаблон:IPA surfaces as Шаблон:IPAblink but triggers the back allophone Шаблон:IPAblink);
- Some have ignored the distinction entirely.
The approach followed here is to ignore the distinction in phonemic descriptions, subsuming Шаблон:IPA as allophones of Шаблон:IPA, but where necessary to also include a phonetic explication (i.e. detailed pronunciation) that indicates the exact quality of all vowels. Generally, these phonetic explications are given for the examples in the section on phonology, and elsewhere whenever autonomous Шаблон:IPAblink occurs.
Phonological processes
| Operation | Original | After operation (phonemic) | Pronunciation (phonetic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vowel shortening | Шаблон:IPA 'he.said – to.me' | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA 'he said to me' |
| Vowel lengthening | Шаблон:IPA 'they wrote' + Шаблон:IPA 'it (fem.)' | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA 'they wrote it' |
| Vowel deletion (syncope) | Шаблон:IPA 'in' + Шаблон:IPA 'a book' | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA 'in a book' |
| Vowel insertion (epenthesis) | Шаблон:IPA 'the' + Шаблон:IPA 'girl' + Шаблон:IPA 'this' | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA 'this girl' |
Vowel shortening
All long vowels are shortened when followed by two consonants (including geminated consonants), and also in unstressed syllables, though they are sometimes kept long in careful speech pronunciations of loanwords, as in Шаблон:IPA ('Cairo') and a few other borrowings from Classical Arabic with similar shapes, such as Шаблон:IPA ('phenomenon').Шаблон:Sfnp Long vowel Шаблон:IPA, when shortened collapse with Шаблон:IPA which are, as well, the shortened form of Шаблон:IPA; as a result, the following three words are only distinguished contextually:
- Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:IPA ('cheese')
- Шаблон:IPA+Шаблон:IPA → Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:IPA ('we brought')
- Шаблон:IPA+Шаблон:IPA → Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:IPA ('our pocket')
It is worth mentioning that vowel shortening is not made by rural speakers of Egyptian Arabic, whose form of speech is in decline.
Vowel lengthening
Final short vowels are lengthened when the stress is brought forward onto them as a result of the addition of a suffix.
Vowel deletion (syncope)
Unstressed Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA are deleted (i.e. syncope) when occurring in the context /VCVCV/, i.e. in an internal syllable with a single consonant on both sides. This also applies across word boundaries in cases of close syntactic connection.
Vowel insertion (epenthesis)
Three or more consonants are never allowed to appear together, including across a word boundary. When such a situation would occur, an epenthetic Шаблон:IPAblink is inserted between the second and third consonants.
Vowel elision and linking
Unlike in most Arabic dialects, Egyptian Arabic has many words that logically begin with a vowel (e.g. Шаблон:IPA 'I'), in addition to words that logically begin with a glottal stop (e.g. Шаблон:IPA 'very', from Classical Шаблон:IPA 'strong'). When pronounced in isolation, both types of words will be sounded with an initial glottal stop. However, when following another word, words beginning with a vowel will often follow smoothly after the previous word, while words beginning with a glottal stop will always have the glottal stop sounded, e.g.:
- Шаблон:IPA → Шаблон:IPA or Шаблон:IPA ('the boy is red)
- Шаблон:IPA → Шаблон:IPA Шаблон:IPA ('you [masc. sg.] are very big')
The phonetic pronunciations indicated above also demonstrate the phenomenon of linking, a normal process in Egyptian Arabic where syllable boundaries are adjusted across word boundaries to ensure that every syllable begins with exactly one consonant.
Elision of vowels often occurs across word boundaries when a word ending with a vowel is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, especially when the two vowels are the same, or when one is Шаблон:IPA. More specifically, elision occurs in the following circumstances:
- When both vowels are the same, one will be elided.
- When final Шаблон:IPA is followed by initial Шаблон:IPA, Шаблон:IPA is elided.
- When any vowel is followed by initial Шаблон:IPA, Шаблон:IPA is elided.
| Condition for elision | Original | After elision (phonemic) | Pronunciation (phonetic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Both vowels same | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA 'you (masc. sg.) are red' |
| Final Шаблон:IPA followed by initial Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA 'I intend to go' |
| Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA 'let me go home' | |
| Vowel followed by initial Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA 'that's what I want' |
| Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA 'are you grown-up?' |
Multiple processes
Multiple processes often apply simultaneously. An example of both insertion and deletion working together comes from the phrase Шаблон:IPA ('the girl is grown up'): Example of insertion and deletion together:
- Underlying representation: Шаблон:IPA
- Epenthesis in CCC sequence: Шаблон:IPA
- Deletion of Шаблон:IPA VCVCV: Шаблон:IPA
- Surface realization: Шаблон:IPA
Compare Шаблон:IPA ('the boy is grown up'), where neither process applies.
Similarly, an example of both deletion and long-vowel shortening appears in the phrase Шаблон:IPA ('friend' fem.):
- Underlying representation: Шаблон:IPA
- Deletion of Шаблон:IPA in VCVCV: Шаблон:IPA
- Vowel shortening in VCC: Шаблон:IPA
- Surface realization: Шаблон:IPA
Compare with Classical Arabic Шаблон:IPA.
The operation of the various processes can often produce ambiguity:
- Шаблон:IPA → Шаблон:IPA ('I [masc.] want to eat')
- Шаблон:IPA → Шаблон:IPA → Шаблон:IPA ('I [fem.] want to eat')
Hence, Шаблон:IPA is ambiguous in regards to grammatical gender.
Letter names
In Egypt, the letters are called Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:IPA-arz or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:IPA-arz, and are even taught in entertainment and children's shows, like the Egyptian version of Sesame Street.[6]
The following table does not contain the characters which have the same names in Literary Arabic.
- Notes
- Traditionally, Шаблон:IPA (Шаблон:Lang) and Шаблон:IPA (Шаблон:Lang) were only distinguished in writing if a Шаблон:IPAslink is finally pronounced. The final and separate Шаблон:IPA (Шаблон:Lang) are written in the same way they are in Ottoman Turkish and Persian, but two different characters are used electronically. The dental pronunciations of Шаблон:IPA (Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang) are uncommon out of learned contexts.
Phonotactics
Syllable structure
Egyptian Arabic has the following five syllable types: CV, CVː, CVC, CVːC, and CVCC.
CVː, CVːC, and CVCC are long, or heavy, syllables. Long syllables bear primary stress, and there is only one stressed syllable per word.Шаблон:Sfnp Egyptian Arabic has a strong preference for heavy syllables, and various phonetic adjustments conspire to modify the surface pronunciation of connected speech towards the ideal of consisting entirely of heavy syllables. Examples can be seen below:
- Shortening of long vowels to avoid superheavy syllables (CVːC.CV → CVC.CV)
- Lengthening of short vowels to avoid light stressed syllables (ˈCV.CV → ˈCVː.CV) or the increasingly rarer cases (ˈCV.CVC → ˈCVː.CVC) or avoiding light syllables and converting them into heavy syllables (CVC → CVːC)
- Elision of short vowels to avoid sequences of superlight syllables (CV.CV.CV → CVC.CV)
- Insertion of short vowels to avoid three-consonant sequences, which would result in a superheavy syllable (CVCC.CV or CVC.CCV → CVC.CV.CV)
- Movement of syllable boundaries across word boundaries to avoid vowel-initial syllables (CVC VC VC → CV.C-V.C-VC)
- Insertion of a glottal stop when necessary to avoid vowel-initial syllables
An example of these various processes together:
| Operation | Result |
|---|---|
| Original | Шаблон:IPA |
| Deletion of short high vowel in CVːCVCV |
Шаблон:IPA |
| Shortening before two consonants |
Шаблон:IPA |
| Elision of Шаблон:IPA next to a vowel |
Шаблон:IPA |
| Continuous, resyllabified pronunciation (phonetic) | Шаблон:IPA |
| Normal-form pronunciation | Шаблон:IPA |
In the following and similar analyses, the normal-form pronunciation is given as the phonetic equivalent of the given phonemic form, although the intermediate steps may be given if necessary for clarity.
Other examples include Шаблон:IPA ('I want to eat') → Шаблон:IPA, Шаблон:IPA ('I want to eat it') → Шаблон:IPA, and Шаблон:IPA ('They want to eat it') → Шаблон:IPA.
Prosody
Stress
The position of stress is essentially automatic. The basic rule is that, proceeding from the end to the beginning of the word, the stress goes on the first encountered syllable of any of these types:
- A heavy syllable: that is, a syllable ending in either a long vowel (CVː), a long vowel and a consonant (CVːC), or two consonants (CVCC)
- A non-final light syllable that directly follows a heavy syllable
- A non-final light syllable that directly follows two light syllables (i.e. ...CVCVˈCVCV...)
- The first syllable of the word
| Rule | Phonemic form (no stress) | Phonetic form (stressed) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1a. Syllable closed with a long vowel | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'writing' or 'writer' |
| Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'book' | |
| Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'you (fem.) write it' | |
| 1b. Syllable closed with two consonants | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'I wrote' |
| Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'female writer' | |
| Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'desk' | |
| Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'you (masc.) write' | |
| 2. Nonfinal light syllable following heavy syllable | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'library' |
| Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'you (fem.) write' | |
| 3. Nonfinal light syllable following two lights | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'she wrote it' |
| 4. First syllable | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'he wrote' |
| Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | 'she wrote' |
Because the stress is almost completely predictable, it is not indicated in phonemic transcriptions (but is given in the corresponding phonetic explication).
Phonological development
Phonemic developmental stages
Шаблон:Harvcoltxt identifies three stages in the phonological acquisition of Egyptian Arabic, ending with completion of the consonant inventory (with the possible exception of Шаблон:IPAslink) at approximately age five.Шаблон:Sfnp
- Babbling stage: (~6–10 months)
The sound inventory found in the babbling stage does not technically consist of phonemes, but rather vowel- and consonant-like sounds. Therefore, they are not true speech sounds.Шаблон:Sfnp Like children acquiring other world languages, Egyptian Arabic infants produce consonant-like sounds approximating Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink.Шаблон:Sfnp
- Stage I (~1–2 years)
At this stage children have acquired the basic Шаблон:IPA, Шаблон:IPA, Шаблон:IPA vowel triangle, and the consonants Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, and Шаблон:IPAslink. At this stage Шаблон:IPAslink is only produced word-initially (possibly due to speakers’ tendency to insert a glottal stop on words which begin with a vowel). There is typically no voiced-voiceless contrast and no single-double consonant contrast.Шаблон:Sfnp
- Stage II (~2–3 years)
Newly acquired phonemes are: Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink. A voiced-voiceless contrast is now apparent in stops and fricatives. Consonant clusters appear but are unstable, often being omitted or simplified (consonant cluster reduction). The newly acquired lateral Шаблон:IPAslink is frequently used in place of the flapШаблон:Sfnp/trill Шаблон:IPAblink~Шаблон:IPAblink (lateralization). Example: Шаблон:IPA ('school') → Шаблон:IPA
- Intermediate Stage II-III (~3–5 years)
Vowel length distinction, the emphatics Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink; Шаблон:IPAslink (sometimes realized as Шаблон:IPAslink) and Шаблон:IPAslink (often realized as Шаблон:IPAblink) are acquired. A geminated consonant distinction is developing, although children have difficulty with Шаблон:IPA and its voiced pair Шаблон:IPA.Шаблон:Sfnp
- Phonemic Stage III (Adult mastery ~5 years)
The flap/trill Шаблон:IPAslink~Шаблон:IPAslink and all diphthongs and clusters are acquired, and geminate consonant distinction is stable. The phoneme Шаблон:IPAslink is rare in Egyptian Arabic and is typically only mastered with formal schooling at around age seven or eight, and is realized acceptably in the dialect as Шаблон:IPAblink.Шаблон:Sfnp
Cross-linguistic comparison and phonological processes
Egyptian Arabic phoneme acquisition has been chiefly compared to that of English. The order of phoneme acquisition is similar for both languages: Exceptions are Шаблон:IPAslink, Шаблон:IPAslink, and Шаблон:IPAslink, which appear earlier in Arabic-speaking children's inventory than in English, perhaps due to the frequency of their occurrence in the children's input.Шаблон:Sfnp Egyptian Arabic differs most from English in terms of age of phoneme acquisition: Vowel distinctions appear at an earlier age in Egyptian Arabic than in English, which could reflect both the smaller inventory and the higher functional value of Arabic vowels: The consonantal system, on the other hand, is completed almost a year later than that of English.Шаблон:Sfnp However, the lateral Шаблон:IPAslink is acquired by most Arabic-speaking children by age two, a year earlier than English-speaking children.Шаблон:Sfnp The most difficult phonemes for young Arabic children are emphatic stops, fricatives, and the flapШаблон:Sfnp/trill Шаблон:IPAslink~Шаблон:IPAslink. Шаблон:IPAslink and Шаблон:IPAslink, which are relatively rare sounds in other languages, are the most difficult geminate consonants to acquire.Шаблон:Sfnp
Phonological processes
For children under two, syllable reduction and final consonant deletion are the most common phonological processes.Шаблон:Sfnp De-emphasis, involving the loss of the secondary articulation for emphatic consonants (e.g., realizing emphatic Шаблон:IPAslink as Шаблон:IPAblink), may reflect the motoric difficulty of emphatic consonants, which are rare in world languages,Шаблон:Sfnp as well as their relatively low frequency and functional load in Arabic.Шаблон:Sfnp
The back fricatives Шаблон:IPAslink and Шаблон:IPAslink are unusually accurate at an early age and less prone to fronting than in other languages.Шаблон:Sfnp
Acquisition of syllable structure
Most children have mastered all syllable types between the ages of two and three. A preference for three-syllable words is evident (CVːC syllables being the most frequently produced) and production rarely exceeds four syllables. Simplification processes like those detailed above may occur to reduce CVCC syllables to CVːC or CVC syllables; however, when children change the syllable structure, they preserve the prosodic weight of the altered syllable in order to maintain stress relations.Шаблон:Sfnp
See also
Notes
References
- Шаблон:Cite journal
- Шаблон:Cite journal
- Шаблон:Cite journal
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite journal
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite journal
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
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