Lesson 8

Arabic Root System

The letter ج and the sound /ʤ/

The letter ج (jeem) in Modern Standard Arabic is pronounced like ‘j’ in the word ‘jacket’, the sound designation is: /ʤ/ or /d͡ʒ/

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

The medial and final jeem in handwritten scripts gives a ligature, because the connection to it is above the line and approaches the upper left edge of jeem (not as in printed script). It is therefore necessary to raise the entire previous letter, and sometimes several previous letters, above the line. In some cases it is possible to lower jeem slightly below the line.

Exercise 1. Read and write it down 5 times.

جِ جُ جَ جُج جَج جِج جُجَج جِجَجُ جُجِجَ

The audio for جَ جُ جِ جْ جَنِبْ وِجْ:

In the audio above, we hear the sound /ʒ/ (like in the word ‘garage’ /'gærɑ:ʒ/). This is the second variant of the pronunciation of the letter ج and probably the more popular one. Some regions pronounce it this way, others that way. When reading the Koran, it is pronounced /ʤ/

Exercise 2. Read and write the transcription for the following words. Mark the stress.

Exercise 3. Write down the transcribed words in Arabic letters.

/maʤа̄zun, muhа̄ʤirun, riʤа̄lun, liʤа̄nun, ʤududun, ʤahīdun, ʤazīratun, ʤа̄nibunа̄, jūʤadu, ʤа̄zatа̄, ʤuzurun, laʤnatukum/

The root of the word

The root of any Arabic word is usually made up of three consonant sounds. Thus, for example, the words KiTа̄Bun (book), Kа̄TiBun (writer, m.), Kа̄TiBatun (writer, f.), maKTaBun (desk), maKTaBatun (library) contain the common root K,T,B expressing the idea of ‘writing’. Such a three-consonant (three-letter) root combines with other word-forming elements to form various words. At the same time, the word-forming elements in an Arabic word, unlike in English (as can be seen from the above examples), may not only be adjacent to the root, but also penetrate into it. Word-formation (declension, conjugation, plural formation), as we shall see later on, takes place by replacing or building up these additional elements, with the three consonantal sounds constituting the root unchanged.

In Arabic dictionaries, words are not arranged according to the alphabet of initial letters of words, but according to the alphabet of initial letters of roots. Therefore, to find a word in the dictionary, you need to know its root.

Exercise 4. a) Find the common root in the following groups of words.

١) برد، بارد، باردة
٢) وزير، وزارة

b) Find the roots in the following adjectives, assuming that the adjectives in each group have the same word-forming elements but different roots.

١) كبير، لذيذ، وثير
٢) باهر، بارز، نادر، بارد

Plurals

The plural form of Arabic nouns is formed in two ways:

1. By adding a plural suffix at the end of a word; such a plural is called regular or sound plural.
2. By rearranging the entire word structure (which is more common); such a plural is called irregular or broken plural.

Of the words below, the first six form a sound plural, the rest form a broken plural (plurals are given in brackets).

* Rose وَرْدَةٌ – is a special exception, in the plural the word has two forms: وُرُودٌ – feminine and وَرْدٌ – masculine. The form وَرْدَاتٌ is incorrect, although it occurs in textbooks.

Exercise 5. Find the roots in the given examples of plural formation, bearing in mind that all root consonants are retained in plural formation. Write down the given examples, transcribe and memorise them.

Agreement with plural nouns

Adjectives and pronouns (personal and demonstrative) that refer to inanimate nouns in the plural form are placed in the feminine gender of the singular (animal names are also considered inanimate), for example:

The words for the text of lesson 8

The audio to these words (with and without the ending -un, without the plural, without the 8th word):

Notes

1. Here and hereafter the plural form of nouns is given in brackets next to the singular form.
2. اجل – is a more literary form of statement compared to the colloquial form ايوا.

Text of Lesson 8

١) ما هذا؟ هذا كتاب نادر.
٢) ما هذه؟ هذه كتب نادرة.
٣) ما هذا؟ هذا بيت جديد.
٤) ما هذه؟ هذه بيوت جديدة.
٥) ما هذا؟ هذا ديك جميل.
٦) ما هذه؟ هذه ديكة جميلة.
٧) ما هذه؟ هذه وردة جميلة.
٨) ما هذه؟ هذه ورد جميل.
٩) ما هذه؟ هذه مدينة كبيرة.
١٠) ما هذه؟ هذه مدن كبيرة.
١١) هذه مكتبة جديدة. هي كبيرة. هل هناك كتب نادرة؟ اجل، هناك كتب نادرة.
١٢) هذه مدينة كبيرة. هناك بيوت جديدة. هل هي جميلة؟ اجل، هي جميلة.
١٣) لي جريدة جديدة. هناك جمل كبيرة وكلمات نادرة.
١٤) هذا رجل. هو كاتب بارز. له مكتب كبير.
١٥) لك بدلة جديدة. هي جميلة.
١٦) هل هذه دجاجات؟ لا، هذه ديكة .
١٧) هذه تلميذة مجتهدة. لها كتب. هي جديدة.
١٨) هل لكم جبن؟ لا، لنا زبدة ولبن.
١٩) لهم كلاب كبيرة. هل هي هنا؟ لا، هي هناك.
٢٠) ما هذه؟ هذه مكتبات. هل هي كبيرة؟ اجل، هي كبيرة؟

Exercise 6. Read the text, translate it, write it down with vowel marks. Give the transcription of sentences # 16-20. (the input form below and the key are for the translation, the vowel marks are given by hovering over the sentences or clicking them)

Exercise 7. Translate from English into Arabic using affirmative particle اجل.

1) What is this? This is a city. Is it big? Yes, it is big and beautiful. Are there new houses? Yes, there are new and beautiful houses.
2) Do you have a library? Yes, we have a big library. Are there new books? Yes, there are new books.
3) These are rare words. They are beautiful. These are big sentences.
4) Do you have a new newspaper? Yes, I have a new newspaper. Is it here? No, it is there.
5) Is this a writer? Yes, this is a prominent writer. She has new books.
6) I have a pupil. He is diligent. Do you have a pupil? Yes, I have a pupil. Is he diligent? Yes, he is diligent.