Velarization

Velarization is a secondary articulation that include the liquids [] and [] as well as the labi- refers to the raising of the tongue body toward als [] and []. However, the phonemic status the back of the soft palate. Classical Arabic of the secondary emphatics is controversial in has four velarized phonemes, //, //, //, and that they are often marginal, not occurring in //, all of which are coronal consonants with many words or only occurring in the environ- a primary articulation in the dental-alveolar ment of a low vowel. As an example, although region of the vocal tract. Sbawayhi uses the many dialects are reported to have a velarized term mubaq ‘covered’ in his Kitb to describe [], its phonological behavior is usually distinct the velarized consonants of Arabic ( ibq). from the ‘primary emphatics’ //, //, //, and These consonants are often referred to as pha- //. This is because velarized [] usually only ryngealized. In terms of articulation, a pharyn- occurs in the context of a low vowel and alter- gealized consonant is one made with the root nates with its nonvelarized counterpart when of the tongue drawn toward the back wall the low vowel is not present. An illustration of of the pharynx. Ladefoged and Maddieson this comes from Cairene Arabic, where the /r/ (1996:365) note that Arabic dialects vary as to in the word [kub] ‘big [pl.]’ is pronounced whether they have velarization or pharyngeal- as velarized when adjacent to a low vowel, but ization. There is very little acoustic distinction pronounced as nonvelarized in [kabir] ‘big between the two; both are characterized by [sg.]’ when the low vowel is not adjacent. Pri- the lowering of the second formant. The term mary emphatics do not alternate in such a man- ‘emphatic’ is also used to refer to the velarized ner; they are pronounced as velarized regardless consonants. This is a translation of the Arabic of the vocalic context, as exemplified by the term mufaxxama, which is traditionally under- Cairene Arabic pair [nai] ‘active’/[an] stood to include the uvular consonants as well. ‘more active’. Both uvular and velarized consonants are made The second question that a phonological ana- with the tongue body raised toward the back of lysis of velarization in an Arabic dialect must the soft palate; with the uvular consonants, the address is the extension of velarization beyond tongue body raising is the primary articulation, the single phoneme. In most dialects, when there whereas with the velarized consonants it is a is a velarized phoneme in the word, neighbor- secondary articulation that accompanies the ing sounds are also pronounced as velarized. In primary contact in the dental-alveolar region. some dialects it is only the vowel immediately The English term ‘emphatic’ is typically used adjacent to the velarized consonant that is only for the velarized consonants. pronounced as velarized (e.g. certain dialects of A phonological analysis of velarization in an Saudi Arabia), whereas in other dialects it may Arabic dialect must answer the following two be the entire word that is velarized (e.g. Cairene questions: what are the velarized phonemes of Arabic). Thus, depending on the dialect, the the dialect, and to what extent does velariza- common Arabic word /ab/ ‘morning’ will tion affect neighboring sounds? With respect either be pronounced with just the first syllable to the first question, while almost all modern velarized or with the entire word velarized. The dialects have maintained the velarized conso- effect of velarization is particularly strong with nants, there are some differences from Clas- the low vowel, where it is generally identified sical Arabic. For example, colloquial Cairene as allophonic variation between a low back Arabic has // rather than Classical Arabic //, vowel (velarized) and a low front vowel (nonve- while the northern Palestinian dialect described larized). Moreover, detailed investigations of in Herzallah (1990) lacks //. Furthermore, velarization in specific dialects (e.g. Ghazeli most dialects are reported to have a variety of 1977; Heath 1987; Herzallah 1990; Younes other velarized consonants that are sometimes 1993; Davis 1995; Shahin 1997; Watson 1999; referred to as ‘secondary emphatics’. These and Zawaydeh 1999) reveal that some dialects

vvelarization_1-2.inddelarization_1-2.indd 1 77/18/2008/18/2008 8:57:028:57:02 PMPM 2 velarization display an asymmetry between velarization that B i b l i o g r a p h i c a l r e f e r e n c e s is regressive and velarization that is progressive. Davis, Stuart. 1995. “Emphasis spread in Arabic For example, in the northern Palestinian dia- and grounded phonology”. Linguistic Inquiry 26.465–498. lect discussed in Herzallah (1990), velarization Eid, Mushira and Clive Holes (eds.). 1993. Perspec- extends (or spreads) regressively to the begin- tives on Arabic linguistics, V. Amsterdam and Phila- ning of the word, but the progressive spreading delphia: J. Benjamins. Ghazeli, Salem. 1977. Back consonants and backing of velarization is limited. Thus, when a word coarticulation in Arabic. Ph.D. diss., University of has a velarized consonant at the end, the entire Texas at Austin. word is velarized, as exemplified by /xayy/ Heath, Jeffrey. 1987. Ablaut and ambiguity: Phonol- ‘tailor’, which is pronounced entirely velarized. ogy of a Moroccan Arabic dialect. Albany: SUNY Press. But when the velarized consonant is at the Herzallah, Rukayyah. 1990. Aspects of Palestinian beginning, only part of the word would usually Arabic phonology: A nonlinear approach. Ph.D. be velarized, as exemplified by /ab/, in which diss., Cornell University. only the first syllable is velarized. Another man- Ladefoged, Peter and Ian Maddieson. 1996. The sounds of the world’s languages. Oxford: Blackwell. ifestation of the asymmetry between the regres- Royal, Anne Marie. 1985. Male/female pharyngeal- sive and progressive spreading of velarization ization patterns in Cairo Arabic: A sociolinguistic is the observation that in some dialects cer- study of two neighborhoods. Ph.D. diss., Univer- tain sounds (typically those made with a high sity of Texas at Austin. Shahin, Kimary. 1997. Postvelar harmony: An exam- tongue position) block the progressive spread ination of its bases and crosslinguistic variation. of velarization. In the rural Palestinian dialect Ph.D. diss., University of British Columbia. discussed by Younes (1993), the consonants Watson, Janet. 1999. “The directionality of emphasis /š/, /y/, and /w/ block progressive spreading, spread in Arabic”. Linguistic Inquiry 30.289–300. Younes, Munther. 1993. “Emphasis spread in two as exemplified by the word /iym/ ‘fasting’, in Arabic dialects”. Eid and Holes (1993:119–145). which only the initial // is pronounced velar- Zawaydeh, Bushra Adnan. 1999. The phonetics and ized; these consonants do not prevent regressive phonology of gutturals in Arabic. Ph.D. diss., Indi- ana University. spreading, as illustrated by the word /xayy/ ‘tailor’, in which the entire word is pronounced Stuart Davis (Indiana University) as velarized. A third asymmetry between regres- sive and progressive spreading of velarization, documented by Zawaydeh (1999) for Ammani Jordanian Arabic, is that regressive spreading is categorical, whereas progressive spreading is gradient. For example, the word /tasalla/ ‘he overruled’ is pronounced with the first two syllables just as velarized as the third syllable, whereas in the word /aaltak/ ‘your muscles’, the third syllable shows less velarization than the second, and the fourth syllable shows even less velarization than the third. The asymmetries manifested between regressive and progressive assimilation reflect that regressive velarization is stronger than progressive velarization, and this may have a basis in articulation, as sug- gested by Watson (1999). A largely unexplored topic with respect to velarization is its sociolinguistics, namely to what extent, if any, does velarization in a single dialect vary with respect to gender, style, social class, etc. An investigation undertaken by Royal (1985) documented acoustically stronger velar- ization patterns for males than for females.

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