Arabic Dialects Thread
Posted: 19 Nov 2017 16:06
As Shemtov mentioned, I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread on the Arabic dialects. I will try and give an overview of the main features of each group. I am most familiar with Norther Gulf dialects, so if anybody is more knowledgeable on Levantine/Egyptian/North African please do contribute!
Gulf Arabic
This is the dialect I am most familiar with (specifically Kuwaiti), and most of the features are shared among all the gulf accents (Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, parts of Eastern Saudi and Oman to a lesser extent). Many of the features are also found in Southern Iraqi.
Vowels
/i u/ collapse into /ǝ/ in the Gulf and also in northern Saudi, although both /ɪ ʊ/ occur as realisations of /ǝ/ they are conditioned by surrounding consonants. /ʊ/ is only very slightly rounded, and lack of a true short /u/ is quite characteristic.
e.g. /kutub/ > /kǝtǝb/
/a/ > Gulf /ɑ æ/ - This actually happens in MSA as well. /ɑ/ is an allophone near emphatics. Unlike other dialects, however, it is more often /æ/ near /q ħ ʕ/. It often becomes /ǝ/ when unstressed. /æ/ can be closer to /ɛ/ sometimes.
/ʕala/ > /ʕælæ/
/ðˤall/ > /ðˤɑɫɫ/
Word finally /æ/ is often /ɛ/ or even /e/ (especially in the northern half of the gulf):
/ahlan/ > /hala/ > /hæle/
MSA /a:/ is backed to /ɑ:/ in all positions in the Gulf, this is very characteristic of the Gulf in that is basically doesn't have imāla (raising of a/a:). In Bahrain it is often even rounded to /ɔ:/ and sometimes in parts of UAE as well.
MSA: /sala:m/ > /sælɑ:m/
MSA: /ba:b/ > /bɔ:b/
/aj aw/ become /e: o:/ which is common throughout the Arab dialects. In the Gulf they may be slightly lower /ɛ: ɔ:/
/bajt/ > /bɛ:t/
/fauq/ > /fɔ:g/
Gulf Arabic doesn't shorten vowels before consonant clusters unlike most of the Levant and Egypt.
Consonants
I will list the main changes and characteristics of Gulf Arabic.
/θ ð/ are retained in the Gulf and show no change.
/q/ > /g/ is probably the most obvious. It happens more consistently than other dialects (for example some Levantine dialects have this change, but it doesn't seem to be applied nearly as much as in the Gulf, and it also has a certain stigma in the Levant which it doesn't in the Gulf.) Higher register words are less likely to have /g/.
/qahwa/ > /gahwa/
/qa:la/ > /ga:l/
/g/ > /ʤ/ is very peculiar to the Gulf. It usually happens near front vowels.
/qari:b/ > /gari:b/ > /ʤri:b/
/muqa:bil/ > /mga:bil/ > /mʤɑ:bil/
Saudi dialects are less likely to have this change, keeping /g/.
/k/ > /ʧ/ is also very common. It supposedly happens near front vowels, but it actually seems quite random. Some parts of the Levant also have this, but it seems to have a bit of a stigma there.
/kabi:r/ > /ʧbi:r/
/kam/ > /ʧam/
but
/kaθi:r/ > /kθi:r/
The feminine 2p suffix -ik also becomes /ǝʧ/:
/kutubuki/ > /kǝtǝbǝʧ/
/ʤ/ > /j/, probably motivated by /g/ moving to /ʤ/. This is also quite confusing for people not from the Gulf. It hasn't affected as many words as the previous two changes, however. In UAE and parts of Oman and Yemen it can be closer to /ɟ/.
/ʤumʕa/ > /jǝmʕa/
/ʤanb/ > /jamb/ > /jamm/
Pharyngealisation
/l m b r f/ > pharyngealised equivalents /ɫ mˤ bˤ rˤ fˤ/. The Gulf has a strong pharyngealisation of these, sometimes even when other pharyngeals aren't around. Pharyngealisation manifests itself on the consonant in the Gulf. In other dialects, vowel change is often the main indication for it, but possibly because of the reduced vowel system and /ɑ:/ for /a:/ in all positions, the pharyngealisation is strongly heard on the consonant. Pharyngealized /m b/ can also have simultaneous labialization. Also /ʕ/ seems to be closer to a stop than an approximant/fricative.
/dˤ/ and /ðˤ/ are merged into /ðˤ/ (unlike elsewhere where it is often /zˤ/.)
/qalb/ > /gaɫbˤ/
/umm/ > /ǝmˤmˤ/
/ummi/ > /ǝmˤʷmˤʷi/
/ðˤill/ > /ðˤǝɫɫ/
/ʕira:q/ > /ʕǝrˤɑ:g/
Syllable Structure
Gulf Arabic tends to avoid final consonant clusters, splitting them up.
/ʔakl/ > /ʔakǝl/
/baħr/ > /baħar/
Some common clusters like /nt/ are common, though. Maybe it has something to do with the sonority hierarchy. /bǝnt/ remains /bǝnt/. Iraqi tends to avoid all final clusters, so /bint/ > /binit/, etc.
The pattern CVCVCV often becomes CCVCV which is quite different from other dialects, especially the feminine past form of verbs. Guttural consonants have a tendency to move before the vowels.
/katabat/ > /ktǝbat/ (usually /katbat/ in other dialects).
/qahwa/ > /gahwa/ > /gᵊɦæwe/
/aħlǝf/ > /aħálǝf/
/aʕrˤǝf/ > /aʕǝrˤfˤ/
If an initial cluster is created, epenthetic /ǝ/ can be inserted.
Unlike Egyptian, but similar to Levantine, words like /madrasa/ are stressed on the first syllable.
Grammar/Morphology
Gulf Arabic is quite conservative in some ways.
The final -n of the plural present forms is kept. This is lost in most other dialects.
/tǝktǝbi:n/ 'you (f.) write'
/jǝktǝbu:n/ 'they write'
etc.
The Southern Gulf and parts of Saudi have kept the fem. plural forms in -in or -an for 3p and -tin for 2p.
/ktǝbǝn/ 'they (f.) wrote
/kǝtabtǝn/ 'you (f.) wrote'
Some parts of Saudi have the vestige of a morphological passive. This doesn't really occur in the Gulf states though, which prefer the /in-/ form.
/kítab/ 'he wrote'
/ktib/ 'it was written' ( /inkítab/)
/ðibaħ/ 'he slaughtered'
/ðbiħ/ 'it was slaughtered (/inðíbaħ/)
Some speakers also still have indefinite nouns in /-n/. Tanwīn has been lost everywhere else. I mostly only hear this when it's followed by an adjective.
/bju:tǝn ʧbi:ra/ 'big houses'
The 3p. object/possessive suffix is always /ah/ in the Gulf. Nearly everywhere else has /uh/ or /oh/ instead. Possibly motivated by the general avoiding of short /ʊ/?
/bɛ:tæh/ 'his house'
/ʃǝftæh/ 'I saw him'
Vocabulary
Gulf Arabic has quite a lot of vocabulary peculiar to it. Most of this is Southern Iraqi too. Here are some words I can think of. Often the word for 'what' is a big indicator as to dialect.
/ʃǝnǝw/ what? (often contracted to simply /ʃ/)
/mǝn/ who?
/χɔ:ʃ/ good
/jɑ:hǝl/ child (from jāhil 'an ignorant one')
/ʕɔ:d/ big, old
/rajjɑ:l/ man
/jabi/ to want
/haga/ to think, believe
/tǝħaʧʧa/ to speak
/ʕajal/ well, right, so
/zɛ:n/ good
/dǝʃʃ/ to enter
/zɛ:n ʕajal, mǝn jabi jǝtħaʧʧa χali:ʤi wijjɑ:j?/
Overall, there is an idea that Gulf Arabic is quite conservative and close to MSA, but not-watered-down Gulf Arabic can be quite difficult for other Arabs to understand because of the sound changes in addition to archaic vocabulary & Persian loan-words. It is associated with 'Bedouin culture' in Egypt etc to a degree.
To be continued.
Gulf Arabic
This is the dialect I am most familiar with (specifically Kuwaiti), and most of the features are shared among all the gulf accents (Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, parts of Eastern Saudi and Oman to a lesser extent). Many of the features are also found in Southern Iraqi.
Vowels
/i u/ collapse into /ǝ/ in the Gulf and also in northern Saudi, although both /ɪ ʊ/ occur as realisations of /ǝ/ they are conditioned by surrounding consonants. /ʊ/ is only very slightly rounded, and lack of a true short /u/ is quite characteristic.
e.g. /kutub/ > /kǝtǝb/
/a/ > Gulf /ɑ æ/ - This actually happens in MSA as well. /ɑ/ is an allophone near emphatics. Unlike other dialects, however, it is more often /æ/ near /q ħ ʕ/. It often becomes /ǝ/ when unstressed. /æ/ can be closer to /ɛ/ sometimes.
/ʕala/ > /ʕælæ/
/ðˤall/ > /ðˤɑɫɫ/
Word finally /æ/ is often /ɛ/ or even /e/ (especially in the northern half of the gulf):
/ahlan/ > /hala/ > /hæle/
MSA /a:/ is backed to /ɑ:/ in all positions in the Gulf, this is very characteristic of the Gulf in that is basically doesn't have imāla (raising of a/a:). In Bahrain it is often even rounded to /ɔ:/ and sometimes in parts of UAE as well.
MSA: /sala:m/ > /sælɑ:m/
MSA: /ba:b/ > /bɔ:b/
/aj aw/ become /e: o:/ which is common throughout the Arab dialects. In the Gulf they may be slightly lower /ɛ: ɔ:/
/bajt/ > /bɛ:t/
/fauq/ > /fɔ:g/
Gulf Arabic doesn't shorten vowels before consonant clusters unlike most of the Levant and Egypt.
Consonants
I will list the main changes and characteristics of Gulf Arabic.
/θ ð/ are retained in the Gulf and show no change.
/q/ > /g/ is probably the most obvious. It happens more consistently than other dialects (for example some Levantine dialects have this change, but it doesn't seem to be applied nearly as much as in the Gulf, and it also has a certain stigma in the Levant which it doesn't in the Gulf.) Higher register words are less likely to have /g/.
/qahwa/ > /gahwa/
/qa:la/ > /ga:l/
/g/ > /ʤ/ is very peculiar to the Gulf. It usually happens near front vowels.
/qari:b/ > /gari:b/ > /ʤri:b/
/muqa:bil/ > /mga:bil/ > /mʤɑ:bil/
Saudi dialects are less likely to have this change, keeping /g/.
/k/ > /ʧ/ is also very common. It supposedly happens near front vowels, but it actually seems quite random. Some parts of the Levant also have this, but it seems to have a bit of a stigma there.
/kabi:r/ > /ʧbi:r/
/kam/ > /ʧam/
but
/kaθi:r/ > /kθi:r/
The feminine 2p suffix -ik also becomes /ǝʧ/:
/kutubuki/ > /kǝtǝbǝʧ/
/ʤ/ > /j/, probably motivated by /g/ moving to /ʤ/. This is also quite confusing for people not from the Gulf. It hasn't affected as many words as the previous two changes, however. In UAE and parts of Oman and Yemen it can be closer to /ɟ/.
/ʤumʕa/ > /jǝmʕa/
/ʤanb/ > /jamb/ > /jamm/
Pharyngealisation
/l m b r f/ > pharyngealised equivalents /ɫ mˤ bˤ rˤ fˤ/. The Gulf has a strong pharyngealisation of these, sometimes even when other pharyngeals aren't around. Pharyngealisation manifests itself on the consonant in the Gulf. In other dialects, vowel change is often the main indication for it, but possibly because of the reduced vowel system and /ɑ:/ for /a:/ in all positions, the pharyngealisation is strongly heard on the consonant. Pharyngealized /m b/ can also have simultaneous labialization. Also /ʕ/ seems to be closer to a stop than an approximant/fricative.
/dˤ/ and /ðˤ/ are merged into /ðˤ/ (unlike elsewhere where it is often /zˤ/.)
/qalb/ > /gaɫbˤ/
/umm/ > /ǝmˤmˤ/
/ummi/ > /ǝmˤʷmˤʷi/
/ðˤill/ > /ðˤǝɫɫ/
/ʕira:q/ > /ʕǝrˤɑ:g/
Syllable Structure
Gulf Arabic tends to avoid final consonant clusters, splitting them up.
/ʔakl/ > /ʔakǝl/
/baħr/ > /baħar/
Some common clusters like /nt/ are common, though. Maybe it has something to do with the sonority hierarchy. /bǝnt/ remains /bǝnt/. Iraqi tends to avoid all final clusters, so /bint/ > /binit/, etc.
The pattern CVCVCV often becomes CCVCV which is quite different from other dialects, especially the feminine past form of verbs. Guttural consonants have a tendency to move before the vowels.
/katabat/ > /ktǝbat/ (usually /katbat/ in other dialects).
/qahwa/ > /gahwa/ > /gᵊɦæwe/
/aħlǝf/ > /aħálǝf/
/aʕrˤǝf/ > /aʕǝrˤfˤ/
If an initial cluster is created, epenthetic /ǝ/ can be inserted.
Unlike Egyptian, but similar to Levantine, words like /madrasa/ are stressed on the first syllable.
Grammar/Morphology
Gulf Arabic is quite conservative in some ways.
The final -n of the plural present forms is kept. This is lost in most other dialects.
/tǝktǝbi:n/ 'you (f.) write'
/jǝktǝbu:n/ 'they write'
etc.
The Southern Gulf and parts of Saudi have kept the fem. plural forms in -in or -an for 3p and -tin for 2p.
/ktǝbǝn/ 'they (f.) wrote
/kǝtabtǝn/ 'you (f.) wrote'
Some parts of Saudi have the vestige of a morphological passive. This doesn't really occur in the Gulf states though, which prefer the /in-/ form.
/kítab/ 'he wrote'
/ktib/ 'it was written' ( /inkítab/)
/ðibaħ/ 'he slaughtered'
/ðbiħ/ 'it was slaughtered (/inðíbaħ/)
Some speakers also still have indefinite nouns in /-n/. Tanwīn has been lost everywhere else. I mostly only hear this when it's followed by an adjective.
/bju:tǝn ʧbi:ra/ 'big houses'
The 3p. object/possessive suffix is always /ah/ in the Gulf. Nearly everywhere else has /uh/ or /oh/ instead. Possibly motivated by the general avoiding of short /ʊ/?
/bɛ:tæh/ 'his house'
/ʃǝftæh/ 'I saw him'
Vocabulary
Gulf Arabic has quite a lot of vocabulary peculiar to it. Most of this is Southern Iraqi too. Here are some words I can think of. Often the word for 'what' is a big indicator as to dialect.
/ʃǝnǝw/ what? (often contracted to simply /ʃ/)
/mǝn/ who?
/χɔ:ʃ/ good
/jɑ:hǝl/ child (from jāhil 'an ignorant one')
/ʕɔ:d/ big, old
/rajjɑ:l/ man
/jabi/ to want
/haga/ to think, believe
/tǝħaʧʧa/ to speak
/ʕajal/ well, right, so
/zɛ:n/ good
/dǝʃʃ/ to enter
/zɛ:n ʕajal, mǝn jabi jǝtħaʧʧa χali:ʤi wijjɑ:j?/
Overall, there is an idea that Gulf Arabic is quite conservative and close to MSA, but not-watered-down Gulf Arabic can be quite difficult for other Arabs to understand because of the sound changes in addition to archaic vocabulary & Persian loan-words. It is associated with 'Bedouin culture' in Egypt etc to a degree.
To be continued.