Arabic-L:LING:[g] in Arabic Sound System Query

[Dilworth B. Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Tue 20 Jun 2000
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject: [g] in Arabic Sound System Query

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1)
Date: 20 Jun 2000
From: Benjamin Troutman <troutmab at gusun.georgetown.edu>
Subject: [g] in Arabic Sound System Query

They say "Arabic" has nine unequivalent sounds in its phonological
repertoire.  One way of describing the voiced pharyngeal "9ayn" is to
think of those times when we've all felt under the weather and have had to
vomit.   But has anyone noticed the pharyngeals coming out of c & w
singers?  Off hand, I really can't name the artists, but since the summer
job radio has been playing those would-be "9ayns" are coming up in lyin'
and cheatin' songs.

I put Arabic around quotations because I don't know what "Arabic" means
anymore.  We all have ideas about what Langauge is,
but when it comes to perform, it's a different act all together.

This are my questions to the scholars:  is the voiced velar plosive [g] in
the Arabic sound system?  Was it, but then its voiceless uvular sidekick
won over in the poetry contests?  More "umf" to the eloquence?


all the best,

Benjamin D. Troutman

P.S.  Who else is there besides McCarthy and Kenstowicz as key
"Arabic" phonologists?

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End of Arabic-L: 20 Jun 2000