Group B –
with approximately the same pronunciation as their counterparts
in some European languages, but not in Standard English.
gh
– ghayr
, ghaalib
, mughanni
A guttural sound similar to that of gargling. Like Parisian French
‘r’.
r
– raadyo
, baachir
, mirgad
x
– xaleej
, xanjar
, xuux
Similar to German Bach, Spanish Juan,
Scottish Loch Ness.
l
– ‘light, soft’ l: li3ab
, laysh
, layla
but ‘dark, hard’ l in: allaah
Group
C – sounds different from the sounds encountered
in any common European language.
3
– il-3arab
, 3abdallah
, bi3iir
'–
su’al
, mu’min
, mu’allif
This is the so-called glottal stop, or hamza. It is like a very
short pause between the two parts of the word it “divides”.
It is rarely heard in Gulf Arabic.
7
– a7mar
, il-7iin
, 7aggak
Like breathing on your hands in winter to warm them up.
Emphatic
sounds:
The following sounds - S, 6 (sometimes designated as T), and DH
- are called the emphatic counterparts of s, t, and dh. They are
pronounced with greater muscular tension in the mouth and throat,
and with a raising of the back and root of the tongue toward the
roof of the mouth.
S
– Saali7
, xaaliS
, Sabaa7
6
– 6arrash
, ti6baxiin
, ma6aa3im
DH
– DHallayt
, bu DHabi
, ir-riyaaDHa
An uncommon sound in colloquial Gulf Arabic:
q
– al-qaahira (Cairo)
, quloob
, daqiiqa
This is a sound used in Standard Arabic as well as in dialects
of certain parts of Oman and Iraq. It’s basically a ‘k’
pronounced far back in the mouth. In Gulf Arabic it is usually
pronounced as ‘g’, hence guloob, dagiiga.
( II ) VOWELS
The Gulf Arabic vowels, generally, are not difficult for the English
speaker.
short
– a, i, o, u
long – aa, ii (ee), oo (uu)
diphthongs – ay (ey), aw
( III ) DOUBLED CONSONANTS
A
double consonant may change the meaning of a word, so be careful
to pronounce it correctly.
As you can hear from the recordings, you must prolong the time
you spend pronouncing the doubled consonant in a word.
Group
C – sounds different from the sounds encountered
in any common European language.