Variation in the Influence of the Emphatic Consonant /dˁ/ on the Adjacent Following /a/ Vowel in two Arabic Dialects.

Abstract

The influence of emphatic sounds has been established in several Arabic dialects. This study focuses on the influence of the emphatic sound /dˁ/ on the neighboring vocalic environment in two different Arabic dialects: Palestinian, a Levantine Arabic dialect and Saudi, a Peninsular Arabic dialect. Based on recordings from native speakers of the two Arabic dialects, the study analyzes data through Praat. It is shown that the influence of the emphatic /dˁ/ on the following /a/ vowel in various word positions is different in both dialects. The Saudi dialect reveals much higher F1 value as well as a higher F2 value than the Palestinian dialect does. The Palestinian dialect shows more variation with regard to the effect of emphasis and vowel position in the word than the Saudi dialect does. The study shows that the influence of emphasis can vary from one dialect to another and gives an insight into the nature of emphasis in contemporary Arabic dialects.