Араб тілінің фонетикасы

Phonology of the Arabic language
the phonology of Modern Standard Arabic primarily, with some notes on the phonologies of regional dialects

While many languages have numerous dialects that differ in phonology, the contemporary spoken Arabic language is more properly described as a continuum of varieties. This article deals primarily with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which is the standard variety shared by educated speakers throughout Arabic speaking regions. MSA is used in writing in formal print media and orally in newscasts, speeches and formal declarations of numerous types. Modern Standard Arabic has 28 consonant phonemes and 6 vowel phonemes. All phonemes contrast between "emphatic" (pharyngealized) consonants and non emphatic ones. Some of these phonemes have coalesced in the various modern dialects, while new phonemes have been introduced through borrowing or phonemic splits. A "phonemic quality of length" applies to consonants as well as vowels.

Even in the most formal of conventions, pronunciation depends upon a speaker's background. Nevertheless, the number and phonetic character of most of the 28 consonants has a broad degree of regularity among Arabic speaking regions. Note that Arabic is particularly rich in uvular, pharyngeal, and pharyngealized ("emphatic") sounds. The emphatic coronals (, , , and ) cause assimilation of emphasis to adjacent non emphatic coronal consonants. The standard pronunciation of ⟨ج⟩ varies regionally, most prominently in the Arabian Peninsula, parts of the Levant, Iraq, and northern Algeria, it is also considered as the predominant pronunciation of Literary Arabic outside the Arab world, in most of Northwest Africa and the Levant, in Egypt, coastal Yemen, and south coastal Oman, as well as in Sudan. Note: the table and notes below discuss the phonology of Modern Standard Arabic among Arabic speakers and not regional dialects. +Modern Standard Arabic consonant phonemesLabialDentalDenti alveolarPost alv./PalatalVelarUvularPharyngealGlottal plainemphaticNasal Stop/Affricatevoicelessvoiced Fricativevoiceless ~ hvoiced ~ TrillApproximant

Long (geminate or double) consonants are pronounced exactly like short consonants, but last longer. In Arabic, they are called mushaddadah ("strengthened", marked with a shaddah). Between a long consonant and a pause, an epenthetic occurs,

The Arabic of Cairo (often called "Egyptian Arabic" or more correctly "Cairene Arabic") is a typical sedentary variety and a de facto standard variety among certain segments of the Arabic speaking population, due to the dominance of Egyptian media. Watson adds emphatic labials and and emphatic because Cairene phonology cannot have long vowels before two consonants. Cairene also has as a marginal phoneme from loanwords from languages other than Classical Arabic.

Varieties such as that of Sanaa, Yemen, are more conservative and retain most phonemic contrasts of Classical Arabic. Sanaani possesses as a reflex of Classical (which still functions as an emphatic consonant). is voiced to in initial and intervocalic positions.

The North Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger, when a traveler came along wrapped in a warm cloak. They agreed that the one who first succeeded in making the traveler take his cloak off should be considered stronger than the other. Then the North Wind blew as hard as he could, but the more he blew the more closely did the traveler fold his cloak around him; and at last the North Wind gave up the attempt. Then the Sun shined out warmly, and immediately the traveler took off his cloak. And so the North Wind was obliged to confess that the Sun was the stronger of the two.