Transcription Guide

Symbols for Transcribing Colloquial Arabic Dialects

A. Consonants | B. Vowels | C. Syllable Stress Here are the symbols that we use for transcribing spoken colloquial Arabic. Our system is based on the IPA or International Phonetic Alphabet, a standardized system for representing sounds in any language. We call it a modified IPA, since it is based on the IPA, but not identical to it. The symbols appear on the left side of the following table. In the middle of the table we present an Arabic word that contains the sound that is represented by the phonetic symbol. Many of the sounds in colloquial Arabic correspond fairly closely to the sounds found in Modern Standard Arabic. For this reason, we have inserted the corresponding Arabic letter on the right side of the table. More on the Transcription Guide. A. Consonants Symbol b t (ex. MSA /taiir/ "effect, impact") (ex. MSA /baab/ "door") (ex. MSA /taab/ "he repented") Arabic Letter Symbol D D Arabic Letter (ex. MSA /Dayf/ "guest")

(ex. Egyptian /Deef/ "guest")

(ex. Qatari /eef/ "guest")

(ex. MSA /maalan/ "for example" ) (ex. Palestinian /mitlan/ "for example") (ex. Egyptian /masalan/ "for example")

T Z

(ex. MSA /Taab/ "he recovered, got well") (ex. MSA /aabiT/ "officer") (ex. Egyptian /ZaabiT/ "officer") (ex. MSA /ayb/ "shame") (ex. MSA /aaba/ "forest, jungle")

j[1] (ex. Sancaani /jadiid/ "new") (ex. Palestinian /diid/ "new")

(ex. Egyptian /gadiid/ "new")

(ex. MSA /quraan/ "Quran") (ex. Sancaani /agg/ "right") (ex. Palestinian /a/ "right")

x d

(ex. MSA /abb/ "he loved") (ex. MSA /xabar/ "news") (ex. MSA /daqiiqa/ "minute")

q g

d z

(ex. MSA /haaa/ "this") (ex. Palestinian /haada/ "this") (ex. Egyptian classicism /haaza/ "this")

k k

(ex. MSA /kayfa/ "How?") (ex. Palestinian /kiif-ik/ "How are you (fem.)?") [ = "ch" as in English "chair"] (ex. Kuwaiti /eef aali/ "How are you (fem.)?")

r z s S

(ex. MSA /rajul/ "man") (ex. MSA /zabiib/ "raisins") (ex. MSA /sab a/ "seven")
C

l L

(as in MSA /bi-l- arabi/ "in Arabic")

C

(emphatic /l/, as in MSA /wALLAAhi/ "by God")

(ex. MSA /a b/ "people")

C

m n h w y

(ex. MSA /maal/ "money, wealth") (ex. MSA /naas/ "people")

(ex. MSA /Sayf/ "summer")

(ex. MSA /haaa/ "this")

(ex. MSA /ward/ "roses") (ex. MSA /yaabis/ "dried, desiccated")

1 The in Sudanese Arabic is a voiced palatal stop (IPA [J] ) as opposed to the MSA [d] (equivalent to English j). This Sudanese is a sound pronounced with the tongue

against the top of the mouth, between a /y/ (standard IPA [j]) and a /g/ (IPA [g]). For our transcriptions we have decided to leave it as /j/. Top of page B. Vowels B. Vowels The symbols for vowels are presented along with examples of English words that have these vowels. The English examples serve as clues for how to pronounce the symbols. In this transcription system, short lax vowels are represented by a single symbol (ex. /i/) and long tense vowels are represented by two symbols (ex. /ii/). FRONT i - "bit" ii - "beat" e - "bait" - "bet" a - "bat" ay - "bite" A - "body" aw - "about" - "but" CENTRAL BACK u - "book" uu - "boot" o - "boat" - "bought"

The vowels in the left-hand column are produced in the front of the mouth. Some are produced high in the mouth, i.e. with the jaws almost shut and the lips pulled back. Others are produced low in the mouth, i.e. with the mouth open. You will see this if you pronounce the word "bee" (transcribed as /bii/) and then gradually open your mouth. As your lower jaw falls you will first produce /ee/ (as in "bait"/, then // (as in "bet") and finally /a/ (as in "yeah" or "bat"). (Note: the symbol used by the International Phonetic Alphabet for the vowel in "bat" is: //. Normally, linguists would transcribe "bat" as /bt/. However, because many translators and interpreters are not familiar with this symbol and are not sure what sound it represents, we are using /a/ for this sound, instead.) (Note: the symbol used by the International Phonetic Alphabet for the vowel in "body" is //. However, because many translators and interpreters are not familiar with this symbol and are not sure what sound it represents, we are using /A/ for this sound, instead.) / The vowels in the right-hand column are produced in the back of the mouth, while the vowels in the middle column are produced in the middle of the mouth. In our transcriptions, you will find five long vowels: /aa/, /ee/, /ii/, /oo/, and /uu/. For three of these /aa/, /ee/, and /oo/ the only difference between them and their shorter variants /a/, /e/, and /o/ is vowel length; the /ee/ in Palestinian /zeet/ "oil" sounds just like the /e/ in Palestinian /kilme/ "word" but is a little longer. Both /ee/ and /e/ rhyme with English "bait" even though the first is longer than the second. However, two of the long

vowels /ii/ and /uu/ are both longer and more tense than the corresponding short vowels /i/ and /u/. To illustrate: compare the phrase /fi-l-urdunn/ imaginary phrase /fiil urdunni/

"in Jordan" with the

"Jordanian elephant." The long, tense /ii/ in

/fiil urdunni/ rhymes with English "feel" while the short, lax /i/ in /fi-l-urdunn/ rhymes with English "fill." That is, /ii/ is not only longer than /i/; it is also more "tense." The same long/short and tense/lax differences hold for /uu/ and /u/. For example, Arabic /uut/

"whale" rhymes with English "hoot" while Arabic /uTT/ " put down
(something)" rhymes with English "put." Top of page C. Syllable Stress Stress is important in Arabic because each content word carries a prominent stress, and sometimes stress is one way of distinguishing between dialects. In colloquial dialects, stress is determined by syllable structure. The simplest way to calculate where it will fall is to start from the end of the word. The Palestinian stress system, can be used for illustration, as similar rules are used for calculating stress in many dialects (e.g. Iraqi, Syrian, Gulf, Jordanian, Najdi and Hijazi). The first long vowel that you encounter gets the stress. If there is no long vowel, put the stress on the first vowel that is followed by two consonants (VCC). Then, if there is no long vowel or (VCC) sequence, stress the third syllable from the end. (Note: stress is marked with an acute accent mark () in the following examples.) Finally, if the word does not have three syllables and neither syllable has a long vowel, stress the first syllable in the word. Stress on first long vowel from the end

" keys" [CV-CVV-CVVC] Ex. MSA muqabala " interview" [CV-CVV-CV-CV]

Ex. Palestinian /mafaati/ Stress on first (VCC) sequence from the end:

" employee" [CV-CVC-CVC] Ex. Palestinian /mdrase/ " school" [CVC-CV-CV] Ex. Palestinian /mu yyine/ " particular" [CV-CVC-CV-CV]
Ex. Palestinian /muwAf/
c

If there is no long vowel or (VCC) cluster, stress the third syllable from the end: Ex. Palestinian /ktabu/

" they wrote" [CV-CV-CV]

If the word has only two syllables and neither is long, stress the first syllable::

" he spoke" [CV-CV] Ex. Palestinian /ktab/ " he wrote" [CV-CVC]

Ex. Palestinian /ka/

Cairene Arabic has a similar rule with one exception:If the third from last syllable is closed, the stress shifts to the following syllable:

" school" [CVC-CV-CV] Ex. Cairene /mi ayyna/ " particular" [CV-CVC-CV-CV]
Ex. Cairene /madrsa/
c

In all North African dialects, in words of two syllables, [CVCVC], it is the last syllable, not the first that is stressed, [CV-CVC]: Ex. Eastern Libyan Arabic /kitb/

he wrote.
"if." It can also fall on the definite article in some

Compare this to Baghdadi Arabic: /ktab/, which is stressed like Palestinian Arabic, [ CVCVC]. In some dialects, however, syllable stress is much less predictable. Stress can fall on a word-final syllable, as in Yemeni /i/

dialects. We mark syllable stress where it is surprising/unpredictable or when differing patterns of syllable stress distinguish one dialect from another. For example, Yemenis and

" but," with stress on the final syllable, while most other Arabic speakers say /lakin/ .
Moroccans often say /laakn/ We mark syllable stress where it is surprising/unpredictable or when differing patterns of syllable stress distinguish one dialect from another. This occurs in particular in Moroccan and Yemeni Arabic, where in contrast to many other dialects, stress shifts to the final syllable of the word.