ɠ UNIT FOUR ӠԠՠ In this unit, you will learn the symbol for doubling consonants, and the next four letters of the alphabet in sequence. shadda This symbol, called shadda, is a pronunciation marker whose function is to double the length of a consonant in pronunciation. Do not associate the shadda with two identical, consecutive consonants in English, as in the word little; in English, doubling is merely a spelling convention that may affect the vowel sound, but not the pronunciation of the consonant itself. In Arabic, doubling changes the pronunciation of the consonant over which it is written, and affects the meaning of any word in which it occurs. Like other vocalization marks, shadda is usually omitted in unvowelled texts, except where ambiguity might arise without it. In general, the reader is expected to know which words take shadda, and to use context, if necessary, to guess. Any consonant may be doubled as long as it does not begin a word. The difference between a single consonant and a doubled one is one of length: a doubled consonant is pronounced and held for twice as long as a single one. This is easy to do with fluid sounds, like , , , , , , and . To double the sounds , , and , you must begin to say them and pause in the middle of pronouncing them for a second. Practice this by doing the following exercise. Listening Exercise 1.  Listen to the difference in pronunciation between the first and second word in each pair and repeat: ɠɠȯ  Drill 1.  You will hear twelve words. Mark X if you hear a shadda: 1. 5. 9. 2. 6. 10. 3. 7. 11. 4. 8. 12. Writing Shadda is written like a tiny, rounded w on top of the consonant that it doubles. Practice by copying the examples: Now practice writing and reading shadda in these words: Ƞ When kasra and shadda occur together on the same consonant, they may be written in their normal positions, as in (1) below, or the kasra may be written just below the shadda, above the letter, as in (2): (1) (2) You will see both variants, so learn to recognize them. Be aware that you must listen carefully to distinguish between a long vowel sound and a shadda in the middle of a word. Practice listening for and pronouncing this difference in the next exercise. Listening Exercise 2.  Compare the following pairs of words, the first of which has a long vowel and the second a shadda. Listen and repeat out loud several times: ӠӠ꠯ Drill 2.  You will hear twelve words, each containing either a shadda or a long vowel. Indicate which words contain long vowels, and which shadda by writing either the long vowel you hear or shadda: 1. 5. 9. 2. 6. 10. 3. 7. 11. 4. 8. 12. Drill 3.  Dictation. 1. 4. 2. 5. 3. 6. seen Seen is the name of the Arabic letter corresponding to English s as in the word seen. Be careful not to confuse pronunciation and spelling in this case, for s is used to spell several different sounds in English, such as z as in easy or zh as in treasure . is a frontal consonant, which means that you must pay attention to the quality of the vowels surrounding it. In particular, when alif and fatHa occur before or after , they are frontal, as in bad and bet. Listening Exercise 3.  Repeat, paying particular attention to the vowel sounds: ʠ ʠ Writing Ӡࠠࠠ is a connecting letter that is distinguished in print by its three teeth. In handwriting, however, is usually written without its teeth, as a long straight line. In either case, it takes a tail when written independently or in final position. Compare the printed and handwritten forms of the following: ȠȠ You will quickly become accustomed to reading with its teeth in print. Learn to write it without them. To write independent , begin on the line and draw a very small hook, just enough to indicate the beginning of a letter. Continue into the long, flat body, then dip below the line into the tail, making sure that it comes all the way back up to the line in a full semicircle. Copy: Initial is written just like independent but without the tail. The body of connected merges into the connecting segment so that the two are indistinguishable, so make sure to lengthen the body of the letter. Copy the word (reason): When is connected from a previous letter in medial or final position, the connecting segment and the body of the letter are indistinguishable and there is no hook on the beginning, so that it looks like this: . The body of this toothless must be long enough to distinguishing it from a connecting segment. Remember when reading handwriting that a long flat line like this: represents . Copy this medial handwritten form in the word (arithmetic): Final is written with its tail, which must come all the way back up to the line (lest it be mistaken for ). Copy final in the colloquial word (thats all, enough): Drill 4.  Dictation. 1. 4. 2. 5. 3. 6. sheen This letter corresponds to the sound sh in shoe. Listening Exercise 4.  Listen to in these words and repeat: Ӡ Ԡ Writing Ԡࠠࠠ The letter is a connector, and its shapes match those of , except that this letter takes three dots above. In handwriting, is written without it teeth (like ) and the three dots are connected in a caret (just like those of ). Practice writing independent by copying the example: Now practice initial by copying (shaykh): Copy medial and final in (grass): Now copy and sound out the following names: ѠȠǠǠ ϠѠϠϠ Drill 5.  Dictation. 1. 4. 2. 5. 3. 6. Saad This letter represents the emphatic counterpart of . Pronounce aloud, and note the position of your tongue. It should be toward the front of the mouth and high, close to the roof. Now, starting at the back of your teeth, move your tongue back along the roof of your mouth. You will find a bony ridge just behind the teeth, before the upward curve of the roof. Put your tongue against this ridge. The rest of your tongue will drop lower inside your mouth. The emphatic or velarized consonants in Arabic are pronounced by placing the tip of your tongue in this spot and dropping the rest of the tongue as low as you can. Remember: this and other emphatic consonants deepen the sound of surrounding vowels, most noticeably alif and fatHa, which sound like a in father and u in but. Pay attention to the sound of all vowels near these emphatic letters, because the quality of the vowels gives the clearest indication of emphatic consonants. Listening Exercise 5.  Listen to these words containing and repeat, paying particular attention to the surrounding vowels: ϠѠ͠Ѡɠ Writing ՠࠠࠠ The letter is a connector, and it retains the same basic shape in both print and handwriting. There are two essential points to keep in mind when writing : (a) the loop must be big and oval-shaped, and (b) there must be a small tooth after the loop. To write independent , start on the line and make a big loop up and back to your right, then swing down and close it. Without stopping, make the tooth and then drop well below the line to make the tail. The tail of is the same shape as that of and must come all the way back up to the line. Copy: Initial is written the same way, without the tail. After making the tooth, continue on to the connecting segment. Copy (morning): To write connected from a previous letter, draw the connecting segment to the starting point of the loop, the same point at which you started in initial position, then follow the same steps as above. Copy, following the arrows: Practice by copying the word (photography): Final is connected the same way as medial and ends with a final tail the same shape as the tail of . Practice by copying (person): Listening Exercise 6.  Listen to and repeat the following pairs of words contrasting and . Notice that the emphatic quality of deepens the sound of surrounding vowels. Listening to vowel quality is the easiest way to distinguish between and . ͠͠͠͠栯栠ѠѠϠ Drill 6.  Read these words aloud with the tape, paying attention to the difference between and : 1. (a) (b) 4. (a) (b) 2. (a) (b) 5. (a) (b) 3. (a) (b) 6. (a) (b) Drill 7.  Listen to the words on tape and write the letter you hear in the blank. Remember to listen for vowel quality to help you distinguish between and . 1. 5. 2. 6. 3. 7. 4. 8. Drill 8.  You will hear twelve words; each has either or . Write the letter that corresponds to the sound you hear: 1. 5. 9. 2. 6. 10. 3. 7. 11. 4. 8. 12. Drill 9.  Dictation. 1. 4. 2. 5. 3. 6. Daad This letter represents the emphatic counterpart of . To pronounce , place your tongue in the same position as you did to say and try to say ; the result will be . Remember that is an emphatic consonant that deepens the quality of surrounding vowels, especially alif and fatHa. Listening Exercise 7.  Listen to in these words and repeat: Ϡ Ƞ  Writing ֠ࠠࠠ is a connector, and is written just like except that it takes one dot above. Follow the same steps you did for . Practice writing the independent form: Practice initial by copying the name of the letter, : Now practice medial by copying (green): Practice final in (eggs): Listening Exercise 8.  Listen to and repeat the following pairs of words contrasting and : 䠯񠠠ɠɠ񠯠񠠠񠯠񠠠Ƞ Drill 10.  Mark X for each word in which you hear : 1. 5. 9. 2. 6. 10. 3. 7. 11. 4. 8. 12. Drill 11.  Read the following pairs of words aloud with the tape, paying particular attention to the difference between Ϡ and : 1. (a) (b) 5. (a) (b) 2. (a) (b) 6. (a) (b) 3. (a) (b) 7. (a) (b) 4. (a) (b) 8. (a) (b) Drill 12.  You will hear twelve words, each containing either or . Write the letter that corresponds to the sound you hear: 1. 5. 9. 2. 6. 10. 3. 7. 11. 4. 8. 12. Drill 13.  Listen to the words on tape and write the letter you hear in the blank: 1. 4. 7. 2. 5. 8. 3. 6. 9. Ǡ Drill 14.  Connect the letters to form words. Then listen to the words on tape and write in the short vowels you hear. ՠȠ蠫 1. ԠȠ Ƞ 2. àӠѠǠ 3. ʠՠϠ꠫ 4. ǠӠʠ꠫ѠǠϠ 5. ՠ蠫ǠѠ꠫Π 6. Π֠Ѡ Ǡʠ 7. Ԡ蠫ǠѠȠ 8. ǠԠǠѠǠʠ 9. ՠȠǠ͠ 10. ՠ蠫Ѡ 11. ՠѠǠՠ꠫ 12. ʠѠ֠Ѡ֠ 13. ʠΠՠՠǠ 14. Drill 15.  Dictation. 1. 6. 2. 7. 3. 8. 4. 9. 5. 10. Drill 16.  Read the following words aloud: Drill 17. Read the following advertisements, then create five of your own and share with the class. ɠנ Draw your advertisements here: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Culture  Video Watch Scene 8 with your teacher. Forms of Address You have learned to use HaDritak and HaDritik for polite you. In addition, various titles are often used to address people politely. Some of the titles commonly used in Arabic are: / duktuur / duktuura (Dr.), used to address or refer to medical and academic professionals (whether or not they have a Ph.D.). /  ustaadh / ustaadha (literally, teacher, professor), used to address or refer to an educated person, white-collar employee, schoolteacher, etc. sayyid (Mr.), used in formal situations and correspondence to refer to or introduce people who have no professional title. sayyida (Mrs.), and madaam, used to address or refer to older and/or married women. aanisa (Miss), used to address or refer to a young, unmarried woman. These titles are followed by the persons first or full name (and not by the last name alone). When addressing someone directly, these titles are preceded by yaa ǩ (no English equivalent): yaa duktuur / yaa duktuura ǠѠǠ yaa ustaadh Amin ǠР yaa ustaadha Zeinab Ǡɠ yaa aanisa Samia Ǡɠ Gender In the video scenes, you have heard people address and refer to men and women differently: a male professor is addressed or referred to as duktuur and a female as duktuura. In Arabic, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. That means there is no word for it in Arabic, so you must use he or she depending on what you are talking about. Start practicing this now by thinking of the nouns you learn as huwa (he) or hiya (she). Within the category of people, masculine nouns refer to males. To refer to females, these masculine nouns take a feminine ending pronounced a. For example, masculine ustaadh becomes feminine ustaadha. Within the category of inanimate beings or things, each noun has its own gender, which does not change. Masculine words usually end in a consonant, and feminine nouns almost always end in the feminine a. There are a few exceptions whose gender must be memorized, but in most cases, you can tell by hearing or reading a word what its gender is. Drill 18.  Listen to the words on tape. Mark F if you hear the feminine a and M for masculine if you do not: 1. 5. 2. 6. 3. 7. 4. 8. ɠ UNIT FIVE נؠ٠ In this unit you will learn the feminine ending and the next four consonants in the alphabet. taa marbuuTa This symbol is not considered a part of the Arabic alphabet, because its function is primarily grammatical. It can only occur at the end of a word. This letter is called taa marbuuTa, meaning the tied , and it almost always indicates feminine gender (the rare exceptions to this rule will be noted as they arise). As its name and form indicate, is related to the letter , and sometimes it is pronounced as (you will learn this rule later). At other times it is not pronounced as , but the fatHa vowel that always precedes is always pronounced. In spoken Arabic, a fatHa at the end of a word will almost always indicate . Listening Exercise 1.  Listen to the following on tape and repeat: ɠ ɠ ɠ ɠ Remember: when you hear a noun that ends with a fatHa sound, you can usually assume that it is feminine, and spelled with a . Drill 1.  Mark X for each word you hear that ends in : 1. 4. 7. 2. 5. 8. 3. 6. 9. Writing Since only occurs in word-final position, it has only two shapes: one that follows connecting letters and one that follows nonconnectors. In print, the two dots appear separately, as you can see, but in handwriting, they are usually drawn together as a short horizontal bar (just like the dots of and ). To write after a nonconnecting letter, start above the line at the top of the letter and draw the loop down to your right and back up. Copy the example: To write connected to a previous letter, start at the connecting segment, draw the right side of the loop up into a point, then swing back down to your left to close the loop. The shape of this loop is usually lopsided and not as round as when is written alone, and individual handwriting styles vary. Copy the example: Now copy and sound out the following words containing : ɠ ɠ ɠ ɠ ɠ Taa This letter represents the emphatic counterpart of . To pronounce it, put the tip of your tongue up against the bony ridge behind your teeth on the roof of your mouth, the same position used for , and drop your tongue low in your mouth. Try to say t holding this positionthe result will be . The difference in pronunciation between and is the same as the difference between and . Remember: is an emphatic sound that deepens the quality of surrounding vowels. Listening Exercise 2.  Listen to these words containing and repeat: Ƞ ɠΠנ Writing נࠠࠠ is a connector, and is written in two separate steps. The loop that forms the body is written in one motion, connected to the rest of the word, and the vertical line is written afterwards, much like crossing the t in English. To write independently, start on the line and make the loop first. It should be large and oblong, as in the examples below. The last step in writing is the downstroke. After forming the loop, pick up your pen and draw this stroke as you do the alif, from the top down. It does not need to be exactly at the end of the loop. Write independent , copying the example: To write a word beginning with , begin exactly as you did above, and continue on into a connecting segment without stopping. Unlike ՠand , does not have a tooth between the loop and the connecting segment. Copy the word (doctor): When writing in medial position, start from the connecting segment, continue along the line, and without lifting the pen, loop backwards and around to the line again to continue on to the next letter. Do not stop to write the downstroke until you have finished writing the body of the word. Like dotting the i or crossing the t in English script, this is done at the end, as the example shows. Copy the word (line): Now copy the following words containing : Ƞ(veterinarian) Ѡ(he flies) (handwriting) Remember that, since is an emphatic letter, it affects the quality of surrounding vowels, so that alif and fatHa sound like a in father and u in but. Listening Exercise 3.  Listen to the following pairs of words contrasting and : Ƞ/ Ƞ񠯠񠠠 / Ѡ 񠯠 Drill 2.  Listen to the pairs of words on tape. Circle the letter of the word in each pair that contains : 1. a b 6. a b 2. a b 7. a b 3. a b 8. a b 4. a b 9. a b 5. a b 10. a b Drill 3.  Mark X for each word in which you hear : 1. 6. 2. 7. 3. 8. 4. 9. 5. 10. Drill 4.  Read the following pairs of words with the tape, paying special attention to and and the quality of the surrounding vowels: 1. (a) (b) 5. (a) (b) 2. (a) (b) 6. (a) (b) 3. (a) (b) 7. (a) (b) 4. (a) (b) 8. (a) (b) Drill 5.  Listen to the words on tape and write the letter you hear in the blank: 1. 4. 7. 2. 5. 8. 3. 6. 9. Drill 6.  Dictation. 1. 4. 2. 5. 3. 6. DHaa This letter represents the emphatic counterpart of . Place your tongue in the same position as you did for , and try to say . The tip of your tongue should be between your teeth, but the rest of your tongue should remain in the same position as for , low in the mouth. Remember: is an emphatic sound that deepens the quality of surrounding vowels. Listening Exercise 4.  Listen to the words on tape and repeat, paying attention to the vowel quality around : 堠 񠠠 Writing ؠࠠࠠ is a connector, and is written like in all positions, with the addition of one dot above the body of the letter. Follow the arrows to write independent : When writing initial and medial , do not stop to "cross" and dot until you have finished writing the skeleton of the word. Copy the name of the Arab Emirate, , as shown: Copy and sound out the following words containing : (gazelle) ɠ(ice cream) (luck) Listening Exercise 5.  Listen to the contrast between and in the following pairs of words: 䠯Ƞ񠠠ѠѠ񠯠񠠠Ѡ Drill 7.  Listen to the pairs of words on tape. For each pair, circle the letter of the word that contains : 1. a b 6. a b 2. a b 7. a b 3. a b 8. a b 4. a b 9. a b 5. a b 10. a b Listening Exercise 6.  Recognition of , , , and . Listen to the following words on tape to review these sounds: (d) ʠ (c) (b) (a) 1. (d) (c) (b) (a) 2. (d) (c) (b) (a) 3. Drill 8.  You will hear ten words. For each, circle the sound you hear: 1. 6. 2. 7. 3. 8. 4. 9. 5. 10. Drill 9.  Read the following aloud with the tape, paying attention to , , and : 1. (a) (b) (c) 2. (a) (b) (c) 3. (a) (b) (c) 4. (a) (b) (c) Drill 10.  Listen to the words on tape and write the letter you hear in the blank: 1. 5. 9. 2. Ѡ 6. 10. 3. 7. 11. 4. 8. 12. Drill 11.  Dictation. 1. 5. 2. 6. 3. 7. 4. 8. Drill 12.  Read the following pairs of nouns aloud: ɠ 񠠠 Ѡ ɠ Ƞ ɠ Ƞ ɠ ɠ ɠ Р Ѡ Π ʠʠ ɠ נ Ƞ ɠ What can you guess about the relationship between each pair of nouns? cayn We now come to one of the most distinctive sounds in Arabic: . When pronounced correctly, has its own unique beauty and can be a very expressive sound. The degree to which is emphasized differs slightly from one dialect area to another;in the Gulf and some areas of North Africa, it is pronounced with agreater constricting of the muscles and has a more powerful sound.It is not difficult to pronounce, but you need to exercise your throat muscles, the same ones that you use to pronounce . You should still be doing the exercises you learned above for , in which you constrict your throat muscles as if you were blocking off the air passage from the inside.You can feel this by putting your hand on your throat. Say , and feel the muscles contract. Now pronounce the same sound and voice it, that is, instead of a breathy sound,make a deep, throaty sound.Keep your hand on your throat so that you can feel your muscles contracting. Also, if you bend your head down so that your chin rests on your chest, you will be able to feel and hear what you are doing more easily. Listening Exercise 7.  Listen to in the following words and repeat several times: Ϡ ɠ It is helpful to put your hand to your throat or bend your head down and put your chin on your chest so that you can feel the muscles contract every time you say for a while, until you can say it easily. is a very important sound in Arabic, and you must learn to say it properly in order to be understood. The more you practice now, the sooner will become natural for you. Writing ٠ࠠࠠ is a connecting letter whose shape varies somewhat depending on its position. In independent and initial positions, the common element is a c-shape that rests on the line. As an independent letter, it takes a tail, when connected to a following letter, it leads into a connecting segment as shown. Practice writing and pronouncing independent as shown: Copy the word (street): Practice connecting to a following letter by copying (clock): When is connected from a previous letter in medial and final positions, the body of the letter becomes a closed loop. Rather than a c shape, the left side of the body comes to a point, and the right side is curved. In some typefaces, the body appears to be filled in, but the proper handwritten form is open as the example shows. Practice writing the shape of medial as shown: Now copy (far): In final position, reassumes its tail. Practice by copying (four): Listening Exercise 8.  Listen to the following pairs of words and repeat, paying attention to the pronunciation of and . Remember that is a sound you produce naturally, without effort. Say uh-oh before pronouncing , and put your hand on your throat when pronouncing . ѠѠϠϠѠ Drill 13.  Read the following words aloud with the tape, paying special attention to the difference between and : 1. (a) (b) 6. (a) (b) Ҡ 2. (a) (b) 7. (a) (b) 3. (a) (b) 8. (a) (b) 4. (a) (b) 9. (a) (b) 5. (a) (b) 10. (a) (b) Drill 14.  Circle the sound you hear: 1. 4. 7. 2. 5. 8. 3. 6. 9. Drill 15.  Listen to the words on tape and write the letter you hear in the blank: 1. 4. 7. 2. 5. 8. 3. 6. 9. Drill 16.  Dictation. 1. 5. 2. 6. 3. 7. 4. 8. Copy and sound out the following names: ϠɠϠʠ ϠϠϠ٠ ghayn This letter is pronounced like a voiced . Think of the correspondence between the sounds k (kite) and g (game): k is unvoiced and g is voiced. Pronounce k and g several times, paying attention to how your voice changes when you say g. Now say several times, then voice it. Alternatively, you may think of as similar to the sound you make when gargling. Gargle for a minute and pay attention to the muscles that you use. is pronounced using these same muscles in similar fashion. Listening Exercise 9.  Listen to in these words and repeat: Ƞ Ѡ Writing ڠࠠࠠ is a connector, and has the same shapes as , except that it takes a single dot above. First, practice independent as shown, pronouncing it aloud as you write: Now write (piaster, Egyptian coin roughly equivalent to a penny): Initial connects to a following letter as shown. Practice writing and pronouncing the word (stupid). Do not stop to dot until you have finished writing the entire word: Medial is written just like medial . Copy and pronounce : Final assumes the long tail. Practice by copying and saying (tobacco): Listening Exercise 10.  Compare the following pairs of words on tape, paying particular attention to the difference between and : ȠȠ񠯠񠠠ȯȠ Drill 17.  You will hear nine words. Circle the letter corresponding to the sound you hear: 1. 4. 7. 2. 5. 8. 3. 6. 9. Drill 18.  Read the following pairs of words aloud with the tape, paying close attention to and : 1. (a) (b) 6. (a) (b) 2. (a) (b) 7. (a) (b) 3. (a) (b) 8. (a) (b) 4. (a) (b) 9. (a) (b) 5. (a) (b) 10. (a) (b) Drill 19.  Listen to the words on tape and write the letter you hear in the blank: 1. 4. Ƞ 7. 2. Ѡ 5. ɠ 8. 3. 6. Ǡ 9. Drill 20.  Read the following words aloud: Drill 21. Connect the letters to form words and sound them out. 1. = ѠǠ͠ 2. = Ѡ 3. = ٠꠫ 4. = 򠫠𠫠񠫠 5. = 򠫠ڠ꠫ 6. = Ѡ蠫Ϡ 7. = 𠫠򠫠𠫠ѠǠ 8. = 򠫠𠫠񠫠 9. = 𠫠񠫠Ǡ 10. = ؠǠ꠫ 11. = 蠫Ǡ͠ 12. = 𠫠򠫠ڠ 13. = ՠ 14. = 򠫠 Drill 22.  You will hear ten words. Circle the word you hear in each row: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Drill 23.  Dictation. 1. 6. 2. 7. 3. 8. 4. 9. 5. 10. Read and learn these words:  ɠ ʠ Р lesson ٠ɠ wide, spacious ꠯ Arab (person), Arabic Ѡɠ small Ϡ new Ƞɠ hard, difficult Drill 24. Read each of the following phrases aloud, then write its meaning in the blank. Р an Arab teacher (professor) 1. ɠ 2. Ӡ 3. ٠ 4. ɠ 5. ɠ 6. Ӡ 7. Ӡ 8. Р 9. ʠ 10. ʠ 11. ʠ 12. ٠ 13. ɠɠ 14. Ӡ 15. ɠ 16. ʠ 17. ɠɠ 18. Culture  Video Watch Scenes 9, 10, and 11 with your teacher. Taking Leave Just as greeting people when you first see them is essential to courteous behavior, taking leave is also expected. Whether sitting at a meal or just standing around chatting, you must excuse yourself before leaving. People usually say: 㠯㠠can iznak / can iznik which means with your permission, and the usual response is: itfaDDal / itfaDDali 䠯 which means please, go ahead. You have also heard itfaDDal/i used to mean please, come in / sit down, and it can also mean please, help yourself (for example, to food).