Imala
Encyclopedia
Imāla is a shift
exhibited in many Modern and Classical
accents of Arabic, where the vowel [æ], be it long or short, is raised to [ɛ] or even [e] in certain morphological or phonological contexts. One of the most distinguishable features in dialects in which it occurs, it is also used in many Qira'at
of the Quran, including that of Hafs, albeit only in a single instance in the latter.
and Tameem
, where it occurred in both verbs and inflected
nouns. There are many cases in which Imālah is appropriate; some of the most common are outlined below:
Example: الأعلى (The highest, [ʔælʔæʕleː])
Example: صيام (fasting, [sˤijeːm])
Example: إناث (females, [ʔineːθ])
Example: كافر (nonbeliever, [keːfir])
of the Qur'an
implement Imālah at least once. Some, like those of Hafs or Qaloon, use it only once, whereas others, like those of Hamzah and Al-Kisaa'i, implement it regularly. In those, Imālah affects hundreds of words, either because of a general rule of a specific Qira'ah, or as a specific word prescribed to undergo Imālah. Warsh's Qira'ah from the way of Al-Azraq implements minor Imālah ([ɛ]) regularly, and major Imālah ([e]) in only one instance.
and some parts of the Maghreb
, where it can be as high as [i]. It is one of the most famous properties of those accents.
The vowel [e]/[i] is also used in most dialects of Modern Arabic, including some of those with Imālah, to replace Standard Arabic [æj]. In those dialects, the word بيت ([bæjt], house) is pronounced as [beːt] or [biːt].
accent of medieval Moorish Spain used to implement Imālah, and many Arabic loan words and city names in Spanish retain that property. Seville's
name is a notable example of this phenomenon.
Vowel shift
A vowel shift is a systematic sound change in the pronunciation of the vowel sounds of a language.The best-known example in the English language is the Great Vowel Shift, which began in the 15th century...
exhibited in many Modern and Classical
Classical Arabic
Classical Arabic , also known as Qur'anic or Koranic Arabic, is the form of the Arabic language used in literary texts from Umayyad and Abbasid times . It is based on the Medieval dialects of Arab tribes...
accents of Arabic, where the vowel [æ], be it long or short, is raised to [ɛ] or even [e] in certain morphological or phonological contexts. One of the most distinguishable features in dialects in which it occurs, it is also used in many Qira'at
Qira'at
In Islam, Qira'at, which means literally the readings, terminologically means the method of recitation. Traditionally, there are 10 recognised schools of qira'at, and each one derives its name from a famous reader of Qur'an recitation....
of the Quran, including that of Hafs, albeit only in a single instance in the latter.
Classical Arabic
Historically, Imālah was a feature of the ancient dialects of NajdNajd
Najd or Nejd , literally Highland, is the central region of the Arabian Peninsula.-Boundaries :The Arabic word nejd literally means "upland" and was once applied to a variety of regions within the Arabian Peninsula...
and Tameem
Banu Tamim
Banī Tamīm Tamim is one of the largest of all Arab tribes. Their history goes back to pre-Islamic times....
, where it occurred in both verbs and inflected
Inflection
In grammar, inflection or inflexion is the modification of a word to express different grammatical categories such as tense, grammatical mood, grammatical voice, aspect, person, number, gender and case...
nouns. There are many cases in which Imālah is appropriate; some of the most common are outlined below:
Morphological reasons
- It affects a word-final alifAleph* Aleph or Alef is the first letter of the Semitic abjads descended from Proto-Canaanite, Arabic alphabet, Phoenician alphabet, Hebrew alphabet, Syriac alphabet-People:*Aleph , an Italo disco artist and alias of Dave Rodgers...
when it is substitute for yaaYodhYodh is the tenth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Yud , Syriac and Arabic...
, or when it can be substituted by yaa in some inflections.
Example: الأعلى (The highest, [ʔælʔæʕleː])
Phonological reasons
- Just as well, Imālah occurs if Alif directly follows [j] or is separated from it by only one letter. This can also occur if they are two letters apart, but the second letter has to be haa. Imālah is generally more tense before longGeminationIn phonetics, gemination happens when a spoken consonant is pronounced for an audibly longer period of time than a short consonant. Gemination is distinct from stress and may appear independently of it....
yaa that it is before short yaa.
Example: صيام (fasting, [sˤijeːm])
- Similarly, Imālah occurs when Alif is preceded by a letter which is preceded by an [i] sound.
Example: إناث (females, [ʔineːθ])
- A non-pharyngealized letter followed by [i] can also induce Imālah in an Alif directly before it. As is the case with [j], a consonant or consonant + haa' between the two does not hinder the process.
Example: كافر (nonbeliever, [keːfir])
In the Qur'an
Many Qira'atQira'at
In Islam, Qira'at, which means literally the readings, terminologically means the method of recitation. Traditionally, there are 10 recognised schools of qira'at, and each one derives its name from a famous reader of Qur'an recitation....
of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
implement Imālah at least once. Some, like those of Hafs or Qaloon, use it only once, whereas others, like those of Hamzah and Al-Kisaa'i, implement it regularly. In those, Imālah affects hundreds of words, either because of a general rule of a specific Qira'ah, or as a specific word prescribed to undergo Imālah. Warsh's Qira'ah from the way of Al-Azraq implements minor Imālah ([ɛ]) regularly, and major Imālah ([e]) in only one instance.
Modern Arabic
Although Imālah isn't normally found in MSA, it remains a relatively common feature of Colloquial accents. It is very frequent in the Lebanese accent, and less so in elsewhere in the LevantLevant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
and some parts of the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
, where it can be as high as [i]. It is one of the most famous properties of those accents.
The vowel [e]/[i] is also used in most dialects of Modern Arabic, including some of those with Imālah, to replace Standard Arabic [æj]. In those dialects, the word بيت ([bæjt], house) is pronounced as [beːt] or [biːt].
Effect on Other Languages
The AndalusiAndalusi Arabic
Andalusian Arabic was a variety of the Arabic language spoken in Al-Andalus, the regions of the Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule...
accent of medieval Moorish Spain used to implement Imālah, and many Arabic loan words and city names in Spanish retain that property. Seville's
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
name is a notable example of this phenomenon.
See also
- TensenessTensenessIn phonology, tenseness is a particular vowel quality that is phonemically contrastive in many languages, including English. It has also occasionally been used to describe contrasts in consonants. Unlike most distinctive features, the feature [tense] can be interpreted only relatively, that is, in...
- Vowel height
- North Syrian ArabicNorth Syrian ArabicNorth Syrian Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken in Northern Syria. This dialect is spoken mainly in the region of Aleppo. It is a variant of Levantine Arabic.-External links:*...
- Eastern Libyan Arabic