Linguistic Studies in Memory of Richard Slade Harrell 1967 PDF

# Linguistic Studies in Memory of Richard Slade Harrell ## Edited by Don Graham Stuart - Georgetown University Press - Washington, D.C. - 1967 # Some Contrasts Between Classical Arabic and Egyptian Arabic ## George Dimitri Selim - Georgetown University ## Introduction - In Egypt as well as in...

# Linguistic Studies in Memory of Richard Slade Harrell ## Edited by Don Graham Stuart - Georgetown University Press - Washington, D.C. - 1967 # Some Contrasts Between Classical Arabic and Egyptian Arabic ## George Dimitri Selim - Georgetown University ## Introduction - In Egypt as well as in all the Arab countries, there is a language situation termed diglossia, defined as the coexistence of two varieties of one language, each having its own social functions. - The two varieties of Arabic are: - Classical Arabic, also called Literary, Standard, or Written Arabic, and - Colloquial Arabic, also called Vernacular or Spoken Arabic. - Classical Arabic, hereafter abbreviated CA, is believed not to have changed for the past thirteen hundred years, thanks to the codification of the grammarians and the strict rules of pronunciation set by the reciters of the Koran from the early beginning. - It is used in sermons in mosques and churches, in literary lectures, in news broadcasts, in poetry and prose, in writing letters and articles, and in issuing laws. - Like all other Arabic colloquials, Egyptian Arabic, defined as the educated colloquial speech of Cairo and Alexandria and hereafter abbreviated EA, is thought to have developed from CA or from the Arabic Koine, a variety of Arabic believed to have been used simultaneously with early CA. - It is used in everyday conversation with family, friends, colleagues, servants, waiters, workmen, clerks, in movies, play leagues, servants, - CA can then be either heard or read aloud from a text, as when reading prose or poetry aloud, or recited from memory, as when reciting the Koran or poetry. - Since one can never carry on a dialogue or a conversation in CA, therefore CA could also be called - in terms of language as speech - 'monologue Arabic' ## Commenting on the Phonology of the two Varieties of Arabic - Charles A. Ferguson says they are 'moderately different.' - Commenting on the grammatical structure of the two varieties of any diglossia, he says 'that the Low variety [here EA) is simpler than that of its corresponding High [here CA].' - The aim of this paper is to present a very limited synchronic contrast between CA and EA in their present-day status and to prove that phonologically the two varieties are moderately different, that grammatical EA is simpler. # 1. Phonology ## A. The phoneme Inventory ### 1. The Consonants |Point of articulation|Manner of articulation|Bilabial|Labiodental|Interdental|Dental|Alveolar|Palatal |Velar|Uvular|Pharyngeal|Laryngeal| |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| |**CA**|Stops|Voiceless| **p**| **t**| **d**|**d**|**t**|**k**|**q**|**?**| **h**| | |Voiced| **b**| | | **d**|**d**|**g**| | | | | | |Affricates|Voiceless| | | | |**t**|**?**| | | | | |Voiced| | | | |**d**| | | | | | |Fricatives|Voiceless|**f **| **0**| **s**|**s**|**x**| | | | | | |Voiced| **z**|**z**|** ɣ**| | | | | | | |Trills|Voiced| **r**| | | | | | | | | |Laterals|Voiced| | | | |**l**| | | | | |Nasals|Voiced| **m**| | | | **n**| | | | | |Semivowels|Voiced|**w**| | | | | **y**| | | |**EA**|Stops|Voiceless|**p**|**t**|**d**| **k**|**q**| **?**| | | |Voiced| **b**| | **d**|**g**|** ?**| | | | |Affricates|Voiceless| | | | |**t**| | | | | |Voiced| | | | |**d**| | | | | |Fricatives|Voiceless|**f**|**0**| **s**|**s**|**x**| | | | | |Voiced|**z**|**z**|**ɣ**| | | | | | | |Trills|Voiced| **r**| | | | | | | | | |Laterals|Voiceless| | | | |**l**| | | | |Nasals|Voiced| **m**| | | | **n**| | | | |Semivowels|Voiceless|**w**| | | | | **y**| | | ### 2. The vowels | |Short|Long| |-----|-----|-----| |Front|Central|Back|Front|Central|Back| |**CA**|High **i**| | **u**| **i-**| | **uu**| | |Mid| **a**| | |**aa**| | | |Low| | | | | |**EA**|High **i**| | **u**| **i-**| | **uu**| | |Mid| **a**| | **e**| **aa**| | | |Low| |**å**| | **ee**| **oo**| **åå**| - From the phonemic chart the following can be observed: - CA has 35 phonemes comprising 29 consonants (24 nonemphatic, 5 emphatic) and 6 vowels (3 short, 3 long).. - EA has 36 phonemes comprising 26 consonants (22 nonemphatic, 4 emphatic) and 10 vowels (4 short, 6 long). - While the total number of phonemes is almost the same in CA and EA, EA tends to lesser consonants and more vowels. - In manner of articulation, EA tends primarily towards stops away from affricates and fricatives: - In point of articulation, EA tends to back CA consonants however, the backing is primarily towards dentals or alveolars away from interdentals: ## B. The Phoneme Split - Taking CA as the base variety in this contrast, two types of CA phonemes can be distinguished: 'stable' and 'unstable' - The first are not reflected by different ones in EA, the latter are. - Only the latter will be dealt with here. - The CA phonemes are arranged below according to manner of articulation (i.e. starting with the stops and ending with the semivowels), and point of articulation within each manner of articulation (i.e. starting with the bilabials and ending with the laryngeals). - The EA reflections are arranged according to their distance on the chart from the CA phonemes (i.e., starting with the proximals to the base phonemes and ending with the distals) - Whenever an EA reflection is predictable in terms of its corresponding CA environment, this fact will be given following the example. - Where necessary, F, C and L, standing respectively for the first, second and third radical in a root, will be replaced by the pertinent radical. - Examples cited are in phonemic notation. ## EA reflections of CA phonemes ### 1. The Consonants |CA|EA|CA|EA|Transliteration|English translation| |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| |d|d|'darab|'darab|'he hit'| | ||'daabit|'påäbip|'officer'| |q|q|'qaa?id|'qåå? id|'leader (classicism)'| | | |'qanuun|'qånuun|'law'| | | |'qaal|'aal|'he said'| |?|?|'sa?al|'sa?al|'he asked'| | |?'|'ashaab|'ashääb|'friends'| | |o|'daa?im|'daayim|'permanent' (Fa?i?iL/'Faa?iL/'FYL)| |y|y|'maa? il|'maayil|'slanting' (-V-/) | | |'miah|'miyya|'a hundred' (-V-/) |yy| |' ?aaxid|'waaxid|'has taken'| |w|w|'kaskas|'kaskas|'cup (of wine)'| |vowel length | |'bi?r|'bifr#'well (of water' (-VVC)| | | |'zibaq|'zeeba?|'mercury' (-V-)| | | |'ahad|'badd|'someone' (-CV-)| | | |'mar?ah|'mara|'woman' (-aa ending)| | | |'wuzaraa?|'wuzara|'ministers'| |?| |'Jamaal|'gamaal|'beauty'| |g|g<'Dawråh|'sawrå|'revolution'| | | |'Galaa?ah|'talaata|'three'| | | |'Janb|'zanb|'offense'| | | |'nabiid|'nibiit|'wine'| |t|t| 'Jahab|'dahab|'gold'| |d|d| 'daahir|'zaahir|'clear'| | | |'Juhr|'duhr|'noon'| |h|h|'sabah|'sabah|'resemblance' (FCH) | | |'ramaah|'ramaa|'he threw it' (-h 'him, it')| | | |'salaah|'sålaà|'prayer' (-h feminine marker) |1|1|'kalb|'kalb| 'dog'| |r|r |'? al? aaxar|'raaxar|'[he] also, too'| |n|n|'balluur|'bannuur|'crystal'| |m|m |'?albaarihah|'?imbaarih|'yesterday'| |η|n|'naas|'naas|'people'| |y|y|'?armaniyy|'?armalli|'Armenian'| | | |'yaktub|'yiktib|'he writes'| | | |'yad|'?iid|'hand'| |Ø| |'badawiyy|'badawi|'bedouin' ('yaa al-nisbah')| |||'ganiyy|'gani|'rich' (FaaCiL/FCY)| ## 2. The low central vowels |CA|EA|Transliteration|English translation| |-----|-----|-----|-----| |a|a|'hajariyy|'rock-like'| |a|a|'hajarii|'my rock'| |aa|aa|'Jaarii|'runner'| |aa|aa|'gååri|'my neighbor'| ## 3. The two diphthongs |CA|EA|Transliteration|English translation| |-----|-----|-----|-----| |ay|ay|'bayyaac|'vendor' (FacCaaL/FYL)| | | |'maymuun|'fortunate (maFCuuL/YCL)| | |ee| 'bayt|'house' | |i|'maydaan|'square' | |a|'zaytuun|'olives'| |aw|aw|'Jawwaal|'boy scout' (FaccaaL/FWL)| | | |'mawzuun|'weighed' (maFCuuL/WCL)| | |oo|'lawn|'color' (/FWL)| | |uu|'mawlid|'feastday' (/WCL)| | |u| 'ramaw|'they threw' (-aw 'they')| | |ee|'gazawt|'i raided' (/FCW) | ## C. Some morphophonemic changes ### 1. Pause vs. comtext form - CA distinguishes between (a) pause, incomplete or short form which occurs finally in an utterance and ends in -C, -CC, or -VV. - If -V occurs finally, it is dropped. - (b) Context, complete or long form which is nonfinal in an utterance and does not drop -V. - EA recognizes one form only, based on CA pause form. ### 2. The vowels - EA shortens final long vowels. - CA shortens its final long vowels only before 'hamzatu l-waşl' (i.e. the glottal stop of obligatory elision). - EA final short vowels lengthen before suffixes only in poetry. ### 3. Elision of vowels - In EA unstressed /i/ or /u/ in the last syllable of a word before a final consonant drops when a vowel suffix or suffix beginning with a vowel is added. - CA lacks this feature. ### 4. Epenthetic vowels - CA has: - /u/ after the pronouns ?antum, hum, ‘tum, 'hum, 'kum - /a/ after min when followed by the definite article al - /i/ elsewhere - EA has: - /u/ before the pronouns 'hum, ‘ku(m) and before miyya ‘hundred’ when in construct with the fractions 1/3 to 1/9 to form the hundreds 300 to 900 inclusive - /a/ before the pronoun ‘ha - /i/ elsewhere - It is the most common of the three epenthetic vowels ### 5. Optional assimilation of the definite article - In EA the /l/ of the definite article may or may not assimilate, as a free variation, to the pair /k g/ ### 6. Optional apocopation before the definate article - In EA ‘ala and min may or may not be apocopated, as a free variation, before the definite article; elsewhere they are not. # II. Morphology ## A. Grammatical Categories - That EA has simpler grammatical categories than CA is obvious from the following contrast - The restrictions of these categories the restrictions of these categories need not be stated here. - On the right are the abbreviations abbreviations used in this paper for the categories. |CA Verbs are inflected for:|EA|Abbreviations| |-----|-----|-----| | Tense|Perfect| | | |Imperfect| | |Mood | Indicative| | | |'Subjunctive|Lacking | | |'Jussive'|Lacking| | |'Energetic'|Lacking| | |'Imperative'|Lacking| |Voice|Active| | | |'Passive'|Lacking| |Person |Third|3| | |'Second'|2| | |'First'|1| |Number|Singular|S| | |Dual|Lacking| | |Plural|P| |Gender|Masculine|M| | |Feminine|F| |Nouns are inflected for:| | | |Number | Singular | | | |Dual| | | |Plural| | |Case|Nominative|Lacking| | |Accusative|Lacking| | |Genetive|Lacking| |Gender|Masculine| | | |Feminine| | |State|Definite| def| | |Indefinite|ind|