PHONOLOGICAL CHANGES IN CONSONANTS
Phonological changes can either be in consonants or in vowels. Changes in consonants can be of general nature such as assimilation, substitution, metathesis or elision, or the changes which are specific to some consonants like changes in the glottal stop, in the voiceless alveolar plosive [t], in the voiced alveolar trill [r], in the voiced alveolar lateral [l], in the nūn sākinah (unvocalized [n]), and in the nunation (tanwīn).
Assimilation
Abu Taleb (1987: vol.1,134), Almahdawi (1995: vol.1, 74) and Ibn Abi Mariam (1993: vol.1, 193) discuss assimilation as an essential component of the Qira’āt. It is apparent in their discussion that they follow Sibawayh as they start their discussion on assimilation by discussing the places and manners of articulation as Sibawayh did in his Al-Kitāb (1982:431). However, Almahdawi gives a reason for discussing these two topics together: the reason of the assimilation is the adjacency of two sounds in their places of articulation, and the reason of dissimilation is the nonadjacency of sounds in their places of articulation. As a result of this process, discussion of the places of articulation is prior to the discussion of assimilation. Phonologically, assimilation is observed to have its own characteristics; thus this process has its own environments and terminology in the Qur’anic settings. Assimilations in the Qur’an are of two types: (i) Alidgham alkabir and (ii) Alidgham alsaghir.
(i) alidghām alkabīr When two consonants either in the same word or across word boundaries are separated with a vowel, the vowel is dropped and the two consonants are geminated like [arraħīmi mālik] (Q1:4-3). In this example, the vowel [i] is dropped and [m] assimilates with [m] to form a geminated [m], [arraħīmmālik] in the mode of reading of Abu ’Amr Albasri. Similarly, if the two similar consonants are separated by a vowel in the same word as in [kak] in [manāsikakum] (Q2:200) , Abu ’Amr geminates them as [kk] , [manāsikkum]. Abu ’Amr also reads phrases such as [fajakīdu laka kajda] (Q12:5) as geminated /kk/ [fajakīdu lakkajda]. Other readers recite them with dissimilation. Considering the methods of the seven readers towards the assimilation, Hamza among the seven readers assimilate all types of idghām saghīr without nasalization whether the nūn sākinah and tanwīn is followed by labials, alveolars, glides or liquids. The other readers assimilate the nūn sākinah and tanwīn with nasalization if they are followed by bilabials, alveolars and glides, and without nasalization if they are followed by the liquids.
Almutamāthilain (two adjacent sounds)
Almutmāthlain are two adjacent sounds that are close in their places of articulation and share some manners of articulation. When the two sounds are adjacent, they must not be separated by vowel i.e. the first consonant must be unvocalized (in the sukūn position [c̊]), and the two sounds must be across word boundaries. The cases of almutmāthlain can be summarized as follows:
(i) All the Qurra’ assimilate the [t] of feminine with [d] and [tˁ] across word boundaries as in [ʔaθqalat daʕawa] becomes [ʔaθqaladdaʕawa] (Q7:189). [wa qalat tˤāʔifatun] becomes [wa qalatˁ tˤaʔifatun] (Q3:72).
(ii) All of the Qurra’ agree to assimilate [ð] when followed by its pharyngealized counterpart [ðˁ] as [ʔið ðˤalamu:] which becomes [ʔiðˁ ðˤalamu:].
(iii) All the Qurra’ agree to assimilate the sun [l] with the dentals, alveolars and postalveolars as in [alʃams] [aldi:n] [alnafs] which become [aʃʃams] [addi:n] [annafs] respectively.
(iv) Al-Kisāi assimilates [l] when followed by [n] as in [bal nattibiʕu] which becomes [ban nattibiʕu] (Q2:170).
(v) Ibn Amer, Hamza and Al-Kisāi assimilate [d] with [ᵭ] as in [faqad ᵭalla] which becomes [faqaᵭ ᵭalla] (Q2:108).
Tashīl alhamza
Tashīl alhamza (pronouncing the glottal stop between glottal stop and the glottal fricative). Tashīl alhamza is the dialect of alhijaz, unlike the dialect of BaniTamim where the glottal stop is pronounced as a full-fledged glottal stop. The types of tashīl alhamza that occur in the Qira’āt are:
1. When the final-glottal stop [Ɂu] is followed by another glottal stop [Ɂa] at the beginning of the word as in [assufahāɁu Ɂala], (Q2:13), the first glottal stop is pronounced as a full-fledged glottal stop, but the second glottal stop is pronounced as a mid-point between glottal stop and glottal fricative [assufahāɁu hala].
2. When the glottal stop [Ɂu] at the end of a word is followed by another word beginning with the glottal stop [Ɂɪ] as in [wa la jaɁba aʃuhadāɁu Ɂɪðā mā duʕū] (Q2:282), the first glottal stop is pronounced as a full-fledged glottal stop while the second glottal stop is pronounced as a palatal approximant [j], [wa la jaɁba aʃuhadāɁu jɪðā mā duʕū].
3. When the glottal stop [Ɂa] at the end of a word is followed by another word beginning with the glottal stop [Ɂɪ] as in [Ɂam kuntum ʃuhadāɁa Ɂɪð haᵭara] (Q2:133), the first glottal stop is pronounced as a full-fledged glottal stop while the second glottal stop is pronounced as a palatal approximant [j], [Ɂam kuntum ʃuhadāɁa jɪð haᵭara].
4. When the glottal stop [Ɂa] at the end of a word is followed by another word beginning with the glottal stop [Ɂu] as in [kulla mā ʤāɁa Ɂummatan rasūluhā] (Q23:44), the first glottal stop is pronounced as a full-fledged glottal stop while the second glottal stop is pronounced as a labio-velar approximant [w], [kulla mā ʤāɁa wummatan rasūluhā].
5. When the glottal stop [Ɂɪ] at the end of a word is followed by another word beginning with the glottal stop [Ɂa] as in [man fissamāɁɪ Ɂan] (Q67:16), the first glottal stop is pronounced as a full-fledged glottal stop while the second glottal stop is pronounced as a palatal approximant [j], [man fissamāɁɪ jan]. The phonological process of tashīl alhamza is in the Qira’āt of Nafi’, Ibn Kathīr, and Abu ’Amr; and the reason behind this phonological change for these readers is that the Arabs find it difficult to pronounce two adjacent glottal stops without changing the second one to an easier mode of reading. Ibn ’Amir and the readers of Alkufa read in two full-fledged adjacent glottal stops.
Alibdāl (substitution)
Ibdāl is to substitute a consonant with another consonant. It has the following types:
1) Qunbul, as transimitted from Ibn Kathir, reads [asˁirātˁ] as [asirātˁ] in [Ɂihdina asˁiratˁ almustakīm] (Q1: 6) where he substitutes /sˁ/ by [s].
2) Hamza reads [alsˁirātˁ] as [alzˁirātˁ] in [Ɂihdina asˁirātˁ almustakīm] (Q1:6) where he substitutes [sˁ] by [zˁ].
3) Abdu ’Amr reads [wa Ɂiða rrusulu Ɂuqittat] (Q77:11) as [wa Ɂitða rrusulu wuqittat] where he substitutes the glottal stop [Ɂ] in [Ɂuqittat] by [w] [wuqittat].
Alqalb Almakāni (metathesis)
Metathesis refers to the switching of two or more adjacent sounds within the same word such as [firsik] and [firkis] (peach), [zaŋɡabi:l] and [ɡaŋzabi:l] (ginger). Metathesis occurs in the qira’at Albazzi as in [ħatta Ɂiða stajɁasa arrusulu] ( Q12: 110). Albazzi lengthens the first vowel [a] and drops the glottal stop [Ɂ] in the word [stajɁasa] which becomes [stājasa]. Table below shows the possible metathesis examples in the Qur’an based on the modes of reading.
(Source: Phonological Features in Qiraat)
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