Lesson 15

The letter ع and the sound /‘/

The letter ع /‘ajnun/ produces a voiced pharyngeal sound, meaning that it is produced in the throat at the back. It is not a vowel, nor a normal consonant, and does not exist in English. In our transcription it looks like this: /‘/, but in dictionaries you may see this symbol: /ʕ/. It represents the voiced counterpart of the voiceless consonant /ḥ/, i.e. it is pronounced with the same patterning of the organs of speech, but with the participation of the voice. The sound originates from deep in the throat, from the pharynx.

The consonant /‘/ is a moon consonant.

An idea of the pronunciation of this sound can be given by attempting to engage the low tone voice during the extended pronunciation of /ḥ-ḥ-ḥ/. However, since all the voiced consonants are pronounced with less vigour than the corresponding voiceless consonants, the transition from voiceless /ḥ/ to voiced /‘/ requires a relaxation of the pressure of air leaving the lungs, just as, for example, in the transition from /s/ to /z/, from /f/ to /v/, from /ʃ/ to //ʒ etc. (note: /ʒ/ is ‘ge’ in ‘garage’ /'gærɑ:ʒ/)

Exercise 1. Engage your voice as you extend pronunciation of the voiceless consonants turning them into the voiced ones (pairs of English consonants are given for comparison by sonority and hollowness).

The resulting voiced consonant /‘/ should resemble a quiet, squeezed grunt of a very low tone.

Another way to realise the pronunciation of the /‘/ sound is to sing a vowel (preferably /a/) on the lowest note you are capable of, and then try to go even lower, you should get not a musical tone, but a squeezed grunt. This is the consonant sound /‘/.

Exercise 2. Pronounce the /‘/ sound in the above way.

To check whether /‘/ is correct, you can try to ‘switch off’ your voice when pronouncing it for an extended period of time. This should produce the sound /ḥ/. If this does not happen, then the pronunciation is incorrect.

Exercise 3. Check the correct pronunciation of /‘/ by switching from voiced sounds to voiceless.

The letter ع connects both ways and has four graphic shapes (see from right to left):

The head of ‘ajn in the isolated and initial forms is a slightly enlarged hamza, the lower stroke of which passes into an ornamental ‘tail’ (in the isolated form) or into a connection with the subsequent letter (in the initial form).

In the medial and final forms, the head of ‘ajn is modified and is approximately an isosceles triangle with the apex downwards and a broad, slightly curved upwards base. The medial ‘ajn is written with a counterclockwise movement of the pen and differs from the rounded head of the medial fа̄ or kа̄f by its angularity. The final ‘ajn ends with an ornamental tail.

The tail of ‘ajn is the same as that of jeem or of hа̄, its leftward-facing bulge being, if possible, on the same vertical line as the left edge of the head.

Exercise 4. Read and write it down 5 times.

عَ عِ عُ عَعْ عُعْ عِعْ عِعَعُ عُعِعَ عَعُعِ

The audio for عَ عُ عُ عِ عِ:

Exercise 5. Read and write down the transcription, mark the stress:

Exercise 6. Write down the transcribed words in Arabic letters.

/‘arīfun, ‘abdun, ‘ubajdun, mu‘allimun, ’a‘mа̄lun, ’i‘mа̄lun, ’i‘rа̄bun, zirа̄‘atun, rabī‘un, ‘ibratun, bu‘dun, mal‘abun, ‘araqun, ‘aʤīnun, ma‘ʤūnun/

أَلْ - عَلْ - أُدْ - عُدْ - إِنْ - عِنْ - إِنْ - عِنْ

Exercise 7. Compare the pronunciation of ح and ع in the following words and syllables (the words do not need to be memorised).

Exercise 8. Compare the pronunciation of ء and ع in the following words and syllables (the words do not need to be memorised).

Exercise 9. Read by pronouncing the sounds ء and ع correctly.

١) رَائِعٌ ٢) رَائِعَةٌ ٣) بَائِعٌ ٤) بَائِعَةٌ ٥) مِعَاءٌ ٦) إِدِّعَاءٌ ٧) أَلْعَائِلَةُ ٨) أَلْأَعْمَالُ ٩) عَبَاءٌ ١٠) عَبَاعَةٌ

Exercise 10. Read the following words by pronouncing the sound ع correctly.

Exercise 11. Read by pronouncing the double consonant ع correctly.

Preposition عِنْدَ

The preposition عِنْدَ expresses possession and is translated with the English word ‘have’. Examples:

Exercise 12. Read and translate, write it down with vowel marks.

١) هل عند هذا الولد دفتر جديد؟ لا، ليس عند هذا الولد دفتر جديد. ٢) ماذا عند هذا الولد؟ عند هذا الولد دفتر جديد. ٣) عند من دفتر جديد؟ عند هذا الولد دفتر حديد. ٤) هل الدفتر الجديد عند الولد؟ اجل، الدفتر الجديد عند الولد.

Exercise 13. Write two sentences based on each of the sentences in the previous exercise.

Preposition لـ

The preposition لِـ used to refer to something intended for somebody or something ‘owned’ by an inanimate object. It can be translated as follows: to, for, belonging to, have. The meaning of the possession here also indicates some kind of purpose (he has it because it is for him.)

The preposition لِـ is written together with the following word, e.g.:

When attaching the preposition لِـ to a word with the article, the connecting hamsa of the article appears, and alif is not written, for example:

The following examples explain the use of the preposition لِـ:

Exercise 14. Read and translate, write it down with vowel marks.

١) هل لهذه الفتاة فستان جميل؟ اجل، لهذه الفتاة فستان جميل. ٢) هل للولد كتاب؟ لا، ليس للولد كتاب. ٣) هل هذا البستان للمدرسة؟ اجل، هذا البستان للمدرسة. ٤) لمن هذا الكتاب؟ هذا الكتاب للاستاذ.

Exercise 15. Write two sentences based on each of the sentences in the previous exercise.

Personal pronouns in the genitive case (fused pronouns)

Arabic personal pronouns are declined, i.e. they change in case. The personal pronouns in the genitive case are written and pronounced fused with the preceding word, and are therefore called fused.

Here is a table of personal pronouns in the nominative and genitive cases to memorise:

Personal pronouns in the genitive case (fused) are used, in particular, with prepositions.

The ‘possession phrases’ studied in lesson 5 are nothing but fused pronouns with the preposition لِـ, which in this case changes its vowel mark to /а/ (لَهُمْ، لَنَا، لَهُ، لَكَ etc.).

Fused pronouns are also used with other prepositions, e.g.:

The preposition عند with fused pronouns forms a system of possession phrases like the preposition لِـ, but without the connotation of ownership (they must be memorised):

Exercise 16. Translate into Arabic, choosing the more appropriate preposition (عند or لـ).

1) Do you (m) have a new notebook? Yes, I have a new notebook. 2) Do you (m) have this newspaper? No, we do not have this newspaper. 3) Do they (m) have a cow? Yes, they have a good cow. 4) Does it have a lot of milk? No, it has little milk now. 5) Do you (f) have these books? No, we do not have these books. 6) Does he have a new apartment? Yes, he has a new apartment. 7) Do you (f) have a beautiful dress? Yes, I have a beautiful dress. 8) Do they (f) have coffee now? No, they do not have coffee now.

Prepositions على, مع, عن

The preposition عَلَى /‘alа̄/ is similar to the English preposition ‘on’. The long final /а̄/ is marked in it not by alif, but by the letter ى, which in this case is written without dots. When there is the subsequent connecting hamza, this length in the pronunciation contracts into a short /a/, but the spelling of the preposition remains unchanged, for example:

on the table [‘ala-l-mа̄’idati] عَلَى ٱلْمَائِدَةِ

With fused pronouns, the preposition عَلَى sounds like /‘alaj-/ and the letter ى changes from the long /а̄/ to a regular consonant /j/, e.g.:

on us /‘alajnа̄/ عَلَيْنَا
on you /‘alajkum/ عَلَيْكُمْ

The preposition مَعَ /ma‘a/ corresponds to the Russian preposition ‘with’, e.g.:

with the professor /ma‘a-l-’ustaði/ مَعَ ٱلْأُسْتَاذِ

The preposition عَنْ /‘an/ is similar to the English preposition ‘about’. To connect the subsequent hamza, the preposition عن receives the auxiliary vowel /i/, e.g.:

about the school /‘ani-l-madrasati/ عَنِ ٱلْمَدْرَسَةِ

Phonetic features of fused pronouns

The fused pronoun ـِ ـي (me) is simply a long vowel /ī/ that takes the place of the last vowel of the preceding word (preposition), e.g. عِنْدِي /‘indī/, مَعِي /ma‘ī/.

The prepositions عَنْ and مِنْ with this fused pronoun double nūn: عَنِّي /‘annī/ — about me: مِنِّي /minnī/ - from me. With the pronoun ـنا nūn in them is also doubled: مِنَّا /minnа̄/, عَنَّا /‘annа̄/.

The preposition عَلَى with this fused pronoun sounds عَلَيَّ /‘alajja/ — on me; the preposition فِي sounds فِيَّ — in me.

The third person singular fused pronouns ـهُ, ـهُمْ and ـهُنَّ (except ـهَا), when joined to prepositions ending in /i/ or /ai/, change the vowel /u/ of the letter ه to /i/, for example:

Exercise 17. Write down with vowel marks, read and translate the following phrases.

١) على مائدة؛ على المائدة؛ على هذه المائدة.
٢) عليّ؛ عليكَ؛ عليكِ؛ عليه؛ عليها؛ علينا؛ عليكم؛ عليكنّ؛ عليهم؛ عليهنّ.
٣) فيّ؛ فيكَ؛ فيكِ؛ فيه؛ فيها؛ فينا؛ فيكم؛ فيكنّ؛ فيهم؛ فيهنّ.
٤) عن كاتب؛ عن الكاتب؛ عن هذا الكاتب.
٥) عني؛ عنك؛ عنا؛ مني؛ منا؛ عنه؛ منه.

The words for the text of lesson 15

Notes

1. When people meet, they say: أَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ — peace to you! (literally: peace on you). The response to this greeting: وَعَلَيْكُمُ ٱلسَّلَامُ — and peace to you! When leaving, the outgoing person says أَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ the remaining person replies مَعَ ٱلسَّلَامَةِ — with peace.
2. The words مُعَلِّمٌ, مُدَرِّسٌ and أُسْتَاذٌ — synonyms; the difference between them is only in the shades of meaning:
   مدرّس — teacher (as a position or profession);
   معلّم — teacher (in relation to pupils, and also in a generalised sense);
   استاذ — professor, teacher, sir (is used as an address to a teacher and to an intellectual in general.).
3. نَعَمْ и أَجَلْ — synonyms; نَعَمْ is used more often; the word نَعَمْ؟ with a questioning intonation corresponds to the English ‘Excuse me?’ in those cases when it is necessary to ask the interlocutor to repeat something.

Exercise 18. Make at least 10 sentences using the words for the text of lesson 15.

Text of Lesson 15

I

عاش السلام في العالم!
عاش الشعب الروسيّ!

II

١) ماذا على هذه المائدة الآن؟ عليها الآن شاي مع السكر. وهل عليها حليب؟ لا، ليس عليها حليب. وأين الحليب؟ الحليب على الرف.
٢) من هذا الرجل؟ هو معلّم اجنبيّ. ومن معه؟ معه تلميذ. هل عند التلميذ كتاب روسيّ؟ لا، عنده كتاب عربيّ.
٣) لمن هذا البيت؟ هذا البيت لفلاح عربي. هل هذا الفلاح من القرية العربية؟ نعم، هو منها. وهل هذا البستان له؟ لا، ليس هذا البستان له. هل هذا البستان قرب القرية؟ نعم، هو قربها.
٤) هل هذه المعلمة من تلك المدرسة؟ نعم، هي منها. هل لتلك المدرسة حديقة؟ نعم، لها حديقة كبيرة. هل الحديقة امام المدرسة؟ نعم، الحديقة امامها.
٥) ممّن هذه الرسالة؟ هذه الرسالة من رفيق عربي. عن ماذا هذه الرسالة؟ هذه الرسالة عن الافلام العربية الجديدة. هل هذه الرسالة من العراق؟ نعم، هي منه.
٦) لمن هذا الفنجان الجميل؟ هو لذلك الولد. وماذا فيه؟ فيه حليب. ولمن هذا الحليب؟ هذا الحليب للولد. هل الحليب بارد؟ لا، الحليب حارّ.
٧) اين تلك الشارة الجميلة الآن؟ هي الآن على البدلة الجديدة. ولمن هذه البدلة؟ هذه البدلة للمهندس. واين المهندس؟ هو في المعمل. ولمن هذا المعمل؟ هذا المعمل للدولة.
٨) هل المجلة على الرف؟ نعم، هي عليه. وهل الممسحة على اللوح؟ نعم، هي على اللوح. وهل الملح في المملحة؟ نعم، هو فيها. وهل المملحة على المائدة؟ نعم، هي عليها.

Exercise 19. Read the text, paying attention to the pronunciation of fused pronouns, the consonant ع and to the connecting hamza. Write down the text with vowel marks, translate it, transcribe passages 2 and 8. Memorise the slogans.

Exercise 20. Translate from English into Arabic.

1) Do you have a new Arabic newspaper now? No, I don’t have a new newspaper now. I have it at home. Here I have an old Arabic newspaper. Whose is it? Is it yours? No, it’s the teacher’s, but now I have it. What’s in it? It has a lot of easy articles about the world, about the Arab people.
2) What is on that shelf? There are new magazines on it. Are these new magazines Russian? No, they are foreign. Where are these magazines from? They are from Iraq. Do they have articles about new Arabic films? No, they do not have articles about Arabic films.
3) Where is this letter from? It is from Sudan. Who is it from? It is from a famous Sudanese writer. This writer has many books. What are these books about? They are about the Sudanese village. Are these books in that library? Yes, they are in it. There are a lot of Arabic books in it.
4) Where is this factory? It is near this big city. Does the factory have a school? Yes, the factory has a big school. Does the school have a garden? Yes, there is a beautiful and large garden in front of it. There are many splendid roses in it.
5) Do you (m) have a notebook? Yes, we have a notebook. Where is it? It is on that desk. Whose desk is this? This desk belongs to the teacher from Iraq. Does it have a pencil on it? Yes, it has many pencils on it.