PHONOLOGICAL CHANGES IN CONSONANTS PART 3
Changes in vowels
Arabic is typical of those languages with a minimal vowel system. It has only three vowel phonemes: one high front, one high back, and one low vowel with a length contrast.
In other words, there is a maximum dispersal of vowel quality towards the far corners of the vowel space. However, variations of mid-close, mid-open and centralized vowels also occur in some Arabic dialects, and these variations are reflected in the modes of Qur’anic readings. Some of these variations in the readings of vowels are: alimālah al-sughra, (shift from close to mid-close vowels), and alimālah alkubra (shift from close to mid-open vowels). Other variations are Al-Ishmām (deletion of a close back vowel [u] and alluding to it by lip-rounding), Al-ikhtilās (shortening the vowel to the least degree in connected reading) and Al-rwam (alluding to the vowel in the pause position).
1. Alimālah
Alimālah is the deflection of particular vowels from the fathah towards the kasrah or alif towards the yaa’ sound. Table 5 shows the availability of these phonological changes in the modes of reading of the seven readers:
2. Al-ishmām
Al-ishmām is the rounding of lips without any sound at the same time of producing the unrounded vowel. Al-Ishmām cannot be seen by the blind as he cannot see the rounding of lips. However, he can hear the trace of Al-Ishmām on the place of articulation. Hisham and Al-Kisāi read [qi:la] as [qŭila], [ʁi:ᵭ] as [ʁŭiᵭ], (Q11:44), [ʤi:ʔa] as [ʤŭiʔa] (Q89:23). Ibn ‘Amir and Al-Kisā’i read [si:qa] as [suiqa] , (Q39:71-73), and [ħi:la] as [ħuila], (Q34:54). Nafi’, Ibn ’Amir and Al-Kisai read [si:ʔa] as [sŭiʔa], (Hūd:77) and [si:ʔat] as [sŭiʔat] (Almulk:27) with Ishmām as shown in the table 7.
3. Al-ikhtilās
Ikhtilās alharakah (the close vowel is reduced to mid-close vowel) Arabic language is characterized by its close and open vowels. It does not have the mid-close and mid-open positions. However, some of the readers recite some vowels in a mid-position between completely close and completely open vowels.
Ibn Jinni (1982:99) indicates that alikhtilās is used by the readers to make the recitation of these vowels much easier. For instance, Abu ’Amr and Aldūri read the word [bariɁikum] in [fatu:bu: Ɂila: bariɁikum] (Q2:54) as [barīɁikum] with ikhtilās, where the vowel [i] is reduced to a centralized mid vowel. Other readers read it as a full–fledged close vowel [ri]. Thus, the process of Al-ikhtilās shortens the vowel to the least degree in connected reading. In Al-ikhtilās, the vowel is extra short [ĭ]. Al-Dūri transmitted from Abu ’Amr reads the vowel [u] with ikhtilās in [jaʔmurŭ̜kum], [jaʔmurŭ̜hum], (Q7:157), [jansˤurŭ̜kum], (Q67:20), [juʃʕirŭ̜kum] Q6:109), and [bārɪ̆ʔikum] (Q2:54). In all these examples, the vowel [u] that follows [r] is read as an extra short and less rounded vowel [ŭ̜]. Similarly, the vowel [i] that follows [r] in the last example is read as an extra short [ɪ̆] according to Al-Dūri, transmitter of Abu ’Amr. Table 8. Al-ikhtilās in the seven Qira’at
4. Alrawm
Alrawm is the process of lip gesture alluding to the vowel in the pause position with an extra short vowel [ɪ̆], [ă], or [ŭ]). For example, if the reader pauses on the word [almalʔɪ] (Q2:246), he must drop the last vowel and reads it as [almalʔ]. However, some readers tend to allude to the dropped vowel with an extra short vowel [ɪ̆] as a trace of the dropped vowel in the pause position. Table 9. Alrawm in the seven Qira’āt
In these examples, Hamza and Hishām read either with Alrawm or with the deletion of the glottal stop [Ɂ], while the others read the glottal stop [Ɂ] as an unvocalized consonant in the pause position, [annabaʔ] (Q78:2) and [ħamaʔ] (Q15:26).
5. Vowel Lengthening
Vowels in the Arabic language are [i], [a] and [u] and their long counterparts [i:], [a:], [u:]. In the modes of reading, these vowels can be half long, long or extra long. According to the Qurrā, vowel lengthening is divided into:
(i) muttasil (connected)
(ii) munfasil (disconnected)
The seven Qurra’ agree unanimously that the muttassil madd must be read as long [a:] or extra long [a::]. Warsh and Hamza read the muttasil as an extra long vowel [a::], while the rest of the Qurraa read the muttasil as a long vowel [a:]. Warsh and Hamza also lengthen the munfasil as an extra long vowel [a::], while ’Asim, Ibn ’Amer and Al-Kisā’i read the munfasil as a long vowel [a:]. Qalūn, Ibn Kathīr, Al-Sūsi and Al-Dūri read the munfasil as a half long vowel [aˑ].
Table 10. Vowel Lengthening in the seven Qira’at. (v::) extra-long; (Ishba’) (v:) long, (tawassut), (vˑ) half long (qasr)
(iii) Hā al-şilah (the object pronoun [hi] (it) in connected speech. Ibn Kathīr reads [fi:hi hudan] (Q2:1) as [fi:hi: hudan] by lengthening the vowel in the pronoun [hi] in connected reading. Other readers read it as a short vowel. Similar words are [rabbihi] (Q2:285) and [ʕalajhi] (Q2:158).
6. Vowel Elision
Abu ’Amr reads [rusulunā] (Q57:25) and [birusulinā] (Q57:27) as [ruslŭ̜nā] and [biruslɪ̆nā] respectively by deleting the vowel that follows [s]. He also reads [rusulukum] (Q40:50) and [rusuluhum] (Q40:83) as [ruslŭ̜kum] and [ruslŭ̜hum] respectively by deleting the vowel that follows [s]. However, if the word [rusul] is attached to the third person singular in the object case [rusulihi] or if it is not attached at all to any pronoun, the vowel that follows [s] is not dropped. Other examples where Abu ’Amr deletes the vowel are [subulana] (Q14:12) and [subulana] (Q29:69). He reads them both as [sublana] by deleting the vowel that follows [b]. Nafi’ also reads [Ɂuðun] (Q9:61) and [alɁuðun bil Ɂuðun] (Q5:45) and [Ɂuðunaihi] (Q31:7) by deleting the vowel that follows [ð].
Table 11. Vowel Elision in the seven Qira’at
7. Vowel change
Vowel change in the modes of reading is popular among the readers. These changes can be classified as follows:
(i) When the word is at the scale of [fuʕu:l], and [j] is the medial consonant, the first vowel [u] will be changed into [i] as in [buju:t] will be read as [biju:t] (Q33:53), [ʕuju:n] as [ʕiju:n] (Al-Shu’rāɁ:147), [alʁuju:b] as [alʁiju:b] Q5:109), [ʃuju:χ] as [ʃiju:χ] (Q40:67) respectively. Qalūn, Ibn Kathīr, Ibn ’Amir, Shu’bah, Al-Kisā’i, and Hamza read [buju:t] with vowel [i] [biju:t], and others with vowel [u] [buju:t]. Hamza and Shu’bah read [alʁiju:b] while the others read [alʁuju:b]. Ibn Kathīr, Shu’bah, Hamza, Al-Kisā’i and Ibn Thakwān read [ʕiju:n] and [ʃiju:χ] with the vowel [i] but the others read them with the vowel [u] [ʕuju:n] and [ʃuju:χ]. Ibn Kathīr, Ibn Thakwān, Hamza and Al-Kisā’i read [ʤiju:bihinna] (Q24:31) with the vowel [i] while the others read [ʤuju:bihinna] with the vowel [u].
Table 12. Vowel Change in the seven Qira’āt
(ii) Hafs, Hamza and Al-Kisāi read [ʤiθijja] (Q19:68), [ʕitijja] (Q19:69), and [sˤilijja] (Q19:70), with the vowel [i], while the others read them with the vowel [u] [ʤuθijja] [ʕutijja] and [sˤulijja].
Table 13. Vowel Change in the seven Qira’āt
(iii) Hamz and Al-Kisāi read [faliʔimmihi] (Q4:11) and [fi: ʔimmiha] (Q28:59) with the vowel [i] after the glottal stop [Ɂ], while the others read them with the vowel [u] [faliʔummihi] and [fi: ʔummiha].
Table 14. Vowel Change in the seven Qira’at
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