Arabic and English Vowel Quiz

Comparing Arabic and English Vowels

• Arabic vowels are voiced and produced without obstruction in the mouth, with the ability to be lengthened and held as long as the breath allows, ending with a glottal stop.
• Long vowels in Arabic can be further prolonged when followed by a glottal stop, a geminate, or when paused upon for recollection.
• Short vowels in Arabic are referred to as case markers and are elements of speech, preventing the doubling of identical consonants.
• English achieves the full sound of consonants by applying vowels, but Arabic only has three vowels represented by signs written above or below consonants.
• Arabic vowels play a crucial role in distinguishing singular and plural forms, indicating the object and absence of the object, and differentiating between meanings.
• Arabic vowels are categorized into long and short vowels, with the long vowels represented by alif, waw, and ya', and short vowels indicated by diacritics above or below consonants.
• Saudi Arabian dialects feature oral and nasal vowels, with simple vowels divided into long and short, and diphthongs occurring in non-final and final positions.
• The Arabic script, based on consonant roots, inserts short vowels as diacritics when necessary, resulting in a rich consonantal system and a relatively impoverished vocalic system.
• English vowels, such as /I/, are described as lax high-front monophthongs, not occurring finally or before vowels, and becoming stressed before all consonants.
• The English vowel /I/ can be followed by clusters, occurs in complex words, prefixes, suffixes, and medially.
• The discussion compares the difficulties Arabs learning English face, based on the differences between standard American English and standard Arabic vowels.
• The text provides insights into the articulation and representation of Arabic and English vowels, shedding light on the complexities and distinctions between the two languages.