Learning Arabic -- The First Short Vowel Doubled

[FlasHDasH]

( بسم الله الرحمـٰنِ الرحيم )

 

Learning Arabic -- The First Short Vowel Doubled

 

In lesson two, we were introduced to the three vowels of the Arabic language. We also learned that these vowels have the capability of doubling. That is to say, they would appear as two of the same vowel upon or beneath a given letter, and the pronunciation would change.

 

Each harakat may be doubled in order to add the sound of the letter 'N' to the end of the word. For example, the letter 'baa' with two dhamma sounds like 'bun' or 'bon'. When a letter is doubled, the vowel is called a tanween. The letter which holds this tanween in known as munawwan. Since all three harakat have this capability of doubling, they are given separate names: a doubled dhamma is called a dhammatein, a doubled fathha is called a fathhatein, and a doubled kasra is called a kasratein.

 

This is a feature in the Arabic language that few, if any, languages adopt. This is primarily used to differentiate between nouns and other parts of speech. That is to say, the noun in Arabic may or may not have a tanween, but verbs and particles will never have it. Also, the tanween occurs on the last letter of the word; it may not come upon a letter which is in the middle or beginning.

 

The dhamma, when doubled is called a dhammatein. Read through the alphabet and try and remember the sounds associated with this vowel

 

To listen to the letters' first short vowel doubled click on the letters in this page http://www.shariahprogram.ca/Arabic-alphabet6.shtml