Arabic Vowels: An Autosegmental Phonological Approach

Abstract

This study analyzes the vowel system of the Arabic language, including short and long vowels, through applied examples from Qur’anic recitations and musical maqamat. It seeks to examine this system on the basis of the principles of Autosegmental Phonology, given its significant role in addressing speech phenomena that could not be adequately accounted for by Classical Generative Phonology. Autosegmental Phonology was employed to explain the process of transition from short vowels to long vowels, considering them as operational concepts for examining the vowel system in the Arabic language. Since vowels constitute natural phonetic categories, the study examines their features from the perspectives of both phonetics and music, employing a descriptive-interpretive approach to address the subject of the study. The study reached a number of findings, the most significant of which is that understanding the processes underlying the transition from short vowels to long vowels requires openness to modern theoretical frameworks. Autosegmental Phonology provides a theoretical framework that has contributed to resolving certain phonological issues in tonal languages associated with suprasegmental features, such as length, by explaining how the transition from short vowels to long vowels occurs in Qur’anic recitations and musical maqamat.