Colloquial Arabic vowels in Israel: A comparative acoustic study of two dialects (original) (raw)
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In this study the Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) vowels produced by ten Jordanian males are acoustically analyzed and described. In line with previous studies on MSA produced by speakers from different parts of the Arab world, this study shows that the inventory of MSA vowels consists of six monophthongs and two diphthongs. Moreover, the long monophthongs of MSA are found to be more than double the duration of their short counterparts. In comparison with studies on MSA vowels produced by Palestinian, Saudi, Sudanese and Egyptian speakers, the MSA monophthongs produced by the Jordanian speakers here are found to be significantly shorter than those in the latter studies. Moreover, this study proposes the use of different IPA symbols for the MSA vowels which have been for long inaccurately transcribed as /a:, i:, u:, a, i, u, aj, aw/. This is justified by the finding that long and short MSA monophthongs are significantly different not only in duration but also in vowel quality. This latt...
Quantifying Vowel Characteristics in Hebrew and Arabic
The dominant characteristics of spoken vowels are the two first formants. Thus the vowel systems of many different languages have been documented and compared through their F1-F2 space. Hebrew and Spoken Arabic, both Semitic languages, have five basic vowels: /i e a o u/, though Spoken Arabic has both short and long versions of each. In this paper we present an overview of the results of several studies on vowel formants in both languages. We first compare formants of isolated phonation and connected speech in Hebrew, showing how the formant space is reduced drastically in connected speech as compared to isolated phonation, and how in some cases a clear assimilation to surrounding context can be observed. We then present results on read speech in two Arabic dialects. We show the subtle differences between the two, and discuss the effect of vowel duration also. Finally we discuss how the results can be influenced by the research methodology, and comment on the relevance of the result...
Acoustic Analysis of Iraqi Arabic Simple Vowels
Dirāsāt, 2023
The study aimed at mapping IBA simple vowels as they are produced by Iraqi speakers. The study also aimed to identify the effect of gender on the pronunciation of Iraqi Arabic simple vowels. The study attempted to compare between the vowel chart proposed in this study and other Iraqi and Arabic vowel charts proposed in the literature. Methods: A quantitative method was adopted in this study. Thus, 10 Iraqis were asked to read stimuli, and their voices were recorded using high quality smart phones. The recordings were analyzed via PRAAT, and the frequencies obtained were descriptively and statistically processed. Results: The chart showed a clear tense-lax dichotomy where each short vowel has a long counterpart except for /ee/. Moreover, the results showed significant differences in vowel formants based on gender variable. Female speakers tend to produce vowels at higher levels, while males tend to produce vowels in more front positions. The results also revealed differences between Iraqi variant in one hand, and Maslawi and other Arabic varieties on the other hand. Conclusions: Iraqi speakers showed a good ability to map vowels in distinct places. Biological differences in male and female vocal apparatuses are behind differences in the pronunciation of vowels. It is recommended that the vowel chart offered here can be used as a reference for teachers of English pronunciation at various levels as it indicates to difficulties Iraqi EFL leaners encounter in the pronunciation of English vowels that are mostly resulting from L1 transfer.
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The vowels of Urban Qatari Arabic
Urban Qatari Arabic is a variety of Gulf Arabic [afb] spoken by Qataris with traditionally sedentary tribal backgrounds. This study examines phonetic and phonological aspects of Urban Qatari Arabic vowels using acoustic phonetic data gathered in Qatar. A new phonemic vowel inventory is proposed, including five long vowels and two short vowels. This finding contradicts published studies on Gulf Arabic, which include three or more short vowels; however, it is not unexpected when studies are compared from nearby Arabic varieties, such as Najdi Arabic and Mesopotamian Arabic. The vowel inventory is also investigated using four linear mixed-effects regression models. In Gulf Arabic, variation in short vowel backness is largely accounted for by the point of articulation of adjacent consonants, as indicated by the statistical results. Word-final vowel raising is found to be conditioned by the preceding vowel in Urban Qatari Arabic. Typically, in other varieties of Arabic, word-final vowel raising is consonant-conditioned. A nuanced investigation of word stress, including interactions between stress and epenthesis, demonstrates significant microlinguistic variation. Epenthetic vowels generally can be stressed in Gulf Arabic, but for some speakers, stress assignment also depends on which type of epenthesis occurs. Diachronic variation in Gulf Arabic word stress is tending toward the elimination of stigmatized stress patterns and the introduction of stress patterns from non-Arabian dialects. Acoustic correlates of word stress, including pitch, duration, intensity, and changes in formants, are examined using the regression models. Pitch, duration and intensity are found to be statistically significant markers of stress. An examination of formants shows that contrasts in vowel quality are maximized in stressed vowels. A phonological analysis of epenthesis shows that it is generally predicted by sonority. Historical vowel deletion and synchronic epenthesis are demonstrated to be in a counterfeeding relation, which has previously led to conflicting claims about word final epenthesis. In three-consonant clusters, epenthesis is expected after the first consonant, but sometimes epenthesis occurs after the second consonant or does not take place. Although stress may be assigned to epenthetic vowels, epenthetic vowels differ phonetically from other short vowels. Furthermore, postlexical epenthesis differs phonetically from lexical epenthesis.
Production of English vowels by native Arabic speakers, The
2018
2018 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.When Arabic learners first delve into the English language, they may find many difficulties in pronunciation due to the fact that there are vast differences between English and Arabic, especially regarding the number of vowels and their acoustic realizations. Very few studies have investigated this area of English language acquisition. The aim of this study is to examine the production of English vowels by Arabic speakers and to examine if there are gender differences in the production of English vowels by Arabic English learners. By using the phonetic software Praat, the values of duration and formant of vowel sounds was measured and obtained. English vowels produced by the subjects were recorded and analyzed using Praat, and were compared to results from a research project looking at English native speakers in Colorado. Since the participants were exposed to English and had lived in Colorado, USA, differences in vowel production were...
Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 2023
Arabic has a vowel system with three long and three short monophthongs. One of the parameters that accounts for qualitative differences between long and short vowels across languages is tenseness/laxness of vowels located on the peripheral/non-peripheral tracks in the vowel space. The present study investigates acoustical cues (F1, F2, and duration) of vowels using the data obtained from 21 speakers of Qatari Arabic. The vowels were produced in four phonetic contexts: labial, alveolar, uvular, and pharyngeal. The results revealed considerable qualitative differences between long and short vowels. The long vowels were articulated at the periphery of vowel space; the short vowels occupied more centralized positions. The co-articulatory effect of the preceding consonant was more prominent in short vowels. Short high vowels /i u/ were lowered toward the mid position; short low /a/ was fronted; long low /a˘/ was retracted and raised. The findings suggest that short vowels in Qatari Arabic are lax and non-peripheral.
VOWELS AND CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA IN MODERN STANDARD ARABIC, 2023
Phonemes in a language are divided into two basic groups as segmental and suprasegmental. Among them, suprasegmental phonemes are not dependent on a single sound, on the contrary they contain more than one sound piece. Segmental phonemes are special sound units that are linked to a single sound. Vowels, consonants and semi-vowels are called segmental phonemes. Many vocal organs are involved in the formation of vowels. Among those, the tongue, lips and chin have a more important place in the forming the vowels. For this reason the vowels are divided into various groups as front, back, closed, open etc. according to the condition of the tongue, lips and chin in articulation. In addition to that vowels are examined as short and long in terms of the duration of their pronunciation. The aim of this study, which was prepared using the literature review method is to analyzed the vowels of Modern Standard Arabic in line with the views of the 20th and 21th century Arab phoneticians with the differences of opinion between them. In addition to that it is aimed to classify these vowels according to the criteria of the IPA with the views of the modern Arabic phoneticians.
Arabic and English Consonants: A Phonetic and Phonological Investigation
This paper is an attempt to investigate the actual pronunciation of the consonants of Arabic and English with the help of phonetic and phonological tools like manner of the articulation, point of articulation, and their distribution at different positions in Arabic and English words. A phonetic and phonological analysis of the consonants of Arabic and English can be useful in overcoming the hindrances that confront the Arab EFL learners. The larger aim is to bring about pedagogical changes that can go a long way in improving pronunciation and ensuring the occurrence of desirable learning outcomes.
The Routledge Handbook of Arabic Linguistics, 2018
In this chapter, a general description and discussion of the phonology of Arabic is presented. First, the sound system of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is briefly discussed and compared to the sound system of Classical Arabic (CA) as described by Classical Arabic grammarians. Differences, or possible differences, between the two are highlighted. The phonemic inventory of MSA is then compared to those of the other Arabic spoken varieties, conventionally classified into six main dialect groups from East to West: Gulf Arabic (GA), Iraqi Arabic (IA), Levantine Arabic (LA), Yemeni Arabic (YA), Egyptian Arabic (EA), and Maghrebi Arabic (MA). Comparisons among these varieties are drawn in terms of sound system, syllable structure, and stress patterns. Some sound alternations in different dialects are analyzed within an OCP driven framework. Additionally, processes such as assimilation, affrication, lenition, and pharyngealization are discussed. Occasionally, reference is made to specific dialects within the six major groups, and new data are presented from less studied dialects.