How to Pronounce Old Arabic67

The pronunciation of Old Arabic has been lost to time, but scholars have reconstructed it based on the pronunciation of its modern descendants, such as Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and the various spoken dialects of Arabic. This reconstructed pronunciation is known as "Classical Arabic." Here is a guide to Classical Arabic pronunciation, based on the research of scholars such as William Wright and Jayme Smith.

Consonants

The following is a chart of the Classical Arabic consonants, along with their IPA transcriptions:| Letter | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| ب | b |
| ت | t |
| ث | θ |
| ج | d͡ʒ |
| ح | ħ |
| خ | χ |
| د | d |
| ذ | ð |
| ر | r |
| ز | z |
| س | s |
| ش | ʃ |
| ص | sˤ |
| ض | dˤ |
| ط | tˤ |
| ظ | ðˤ |
| ع | ʕ |
| غ | ɣ |
| ف | f |
| ق | q |
| ك | k |
| ل | l |
| م | m |
| ن | n |
| ه | h |
| و | w |
| ي | j |

Notes on consonant pronunciation:* The consonants ث, ظ, ص, ض, ط, and ظ are all pronounced with emphatic articulation, which means that they are pronounced with more force and with the back of the tongue raised towards the palate.
* The letter ع is pronounced as a voiced pharyngeal fricative. This sound is similar to the sound of the letter "h" in the word "hat," but it is pronounced with the back of the tongue raised towards the pharynx.
* The letter غ is pronounced as a voiced velar fricative. This sound is similar to the sound of the letter "g" in the word "dog," but it is pronounced with the back of the tongue raised towards the velum.
* The letters و and ي are both pronounced as glides. The letter و is pronounced as a labio-velar glide, similar to the sound of the letter "w" in the word "wet." The letter ي is pronounced as a palatal glide, similar to the sound of the letter "y" in the word "yet."

Vowels

The following is a chart of the Classical Arabic vowels, along with their IPA transcriptions:| Letter | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| ا | ɑ |
| ى | ɪ |
| و | u |

Notes on vowel pronunciation:* The letter ا is pronounced as a low central vowel, similar to the sound of the letter "a" in the word "cat."
* The letter ى is pronounced as a high front vowel, similar to the sound of the letter "i" in the word "sit."
* The letter و is pronounced as a high back vowel, similar to the sound of the letter "u" in the word "put."

Diphthongs

Classical Arabic also has a number of diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowels. The following are the most common Classical Arabic diphthongs:| Diphthong | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| ай | ɑɪ |
| او | ɑʊ |
| إي | eɪ |
| يا | iɑ |

Notes on diphthong pronunciation:* The diphthong ай is pronounced as a combination of the vowels ا and ى.
* The diphthong او is pronounced as a combination of the vowels ا and و.
* The diphthong إي is pronounced as a combination of the vowels ى and و.
* The diphthong يا is pronounced as a combination of the vowels ي and ا.

Stress

Stress in Classical Arabic is usually placed on the last syllable of the word. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. For example, words that end in a long vowel or diphthong are stressed on the penultimate syllable. Additionally, words that have a heavy syllable (i.e., a syllable that contains a long vowel or diphthong, or a consonant cluster) are stressed on the heavy syllable.

2025-01-16

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