A descriptive linguistic study of the spoken Arabic of Wadi Hadramawt, Yemen

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

0.1 Preliminary

0.2 Area under investigation

0.3 Defining the dialect

0.4 The present linguistic situation

0.5 Previous Studies

0.6 The Present Study

Notes

2. CHAPTER 1: PHONOLOGY

1.0 Preliminary: The Sounds of HA

1.0.1 Consonants

1.0.2 Vowels

1.0.2.1 Monophthongs

1.0.2.2 HA vowel diphthongs

1.0.3 The transcription of final long vowels and consonants

1.1 Consonants in detail

1.1.1 Stops

1.1.1.1 The voiced bilabial stop b

1.1.1.2 The voiceless lamino-alveolar stop t

1.1.1.3 The voiceless lamino-alveolar emphatic plosive t

1.1.1.4 The voiced apico-alveolar stop d

1.1.1.5 The voiced palatal stop/affricate j

1.1.1.6 The voiceless velar stop k

1.1.1.7 The voiced velar stop g

1.1.1.8 The glottal stop ’

1.1.2 Fricatives

1.1.2.1 The voiceless labiodental fricative f

1.1.2.2 The voiceless interdental fricative t

1.1.2.3 The voiced inter-dental fricative d

1.1.2.4 The voiced interdental emphatic fricative d

1.1.2.5 The voiceless alveolar fricative s

1.1.2.6 The voiceless alveolar emphatic fricative s

1.1.2.7 The voiced alveolar fricative z

1.1.2.8 The voiceless palato-alveolar fricative š

1.1.2.9 The voiceless uvular fricative k

1.1.2.10 The voiced uvular fricative g

1.1.2.11 The voiceless pharyngeal fricative h

1.1.2.12 The voiced pharyngeal fricative c

1.1.2.13 The voiceless glottal fricative h

1.1.3 Nasals

1.1.3.1 The voiced bilabial nasal m

1.1.3.2 The voiced alveolar nasal n

1.1.4 The trill r

1.1.5 The laterals

1.1.5.1 The voiced alveolar lateral l

1.1.5.2 Voiced alveolar emphatic lateral l

1.1.6 Approximants

1.1.6.1 The voiced palatal approximant y

1.1.6.2 The voiced labiovelar approximant w

1.2 Vowels

1.2.1 Short vowels

1.2.1.1 i

1.2.1.2 a

1.2.1.3 u

1.2.2 Long vowels

1.2.2.1 i

1.2.2.2 e

1.2.2.3 a

1.2.2.4 o

1.2.2.5 u

1.2.3 Diphthongs

1.2.3.1 Short diphthongs

1.2.3.1.1 ay

1.2.3.1.2 uy

1.2.3.1.3 aw

1.2.3.2 Long diphthongs

1.2.3.2.1 ey

1.2.3.2.2 uy

1.2.4 Change in vowel quality

1.2.4.1 The effect of emphatic consonants on vowels

1.2.4.2 Vowel harmony

1.3 The Syllable

1.3.1 Syllable Types

1.3.1.1. Monosyllabic forms

1.3.1.2 Disyllabic forms

1.3.1.3 Trisyllabic forms

1.3.1.4 Quadrisyllabic and pentasyllabic forms

1.3.2 Consonant clusters

1.3.2.1 Initial consonant clusters

1.3.2.2 Underlying final consonant clusters

1.3.3 Stress

1.3.4 Stress shift

1.4 Intonation

1.4.1. Rising tone [ ´ ]

1.4.2. Falling tone [ ` ]

1.4.3. Rising / falling Tone [ ` ]

1.5 Simplifications

1.5.1. Introduction

1.5.2. Types of simplification

1.5.3. Simplification processes

1.5.3.1. Tempo

1.5.3.2. Elision

1.5.3.3 Assimilatory processes

1.5.3.4 Multiple simplification

1.5.4 Cross-dialectal variation

Notes

3. CHAPTER 2: MORPHOLOGY

2.0 Introduction

2.1 Verb morphology

a. Transitive verbs

b. Intransitive verbs

2.1.1 Simple Verbs

2.1.1.1 Sound verbs

2.1.1.2 Weak verbs

2.1.1.3 Hamzated verbs

2.1.1.4 Geminated verbs

2.1.2 Derived stems of the simple verbs

2.1.2.1 Stem II (C1aC2aC3)

2.1.2.2 Stem II derived from Stem I verbs

2.1.2.3 Stem II derived from nouns or adjectives

2.1.2.3.1 Nouns

2.1.2.3.2 Adjectives (including colours)

2.1.2.4 Stem III (C1āC2aC3)

2.1.2.5 Stem IV (ʔaC1C2aC3)

2.1.2.6 Stem V (tC1āC2aC3)

2.1.2.7.a Stem VI (tC1āC2aC3)

2.1.2.7.b Umlauted Stem VI (tC1ēC2aC3)

2.1.2.8 Stem VII (nC1aC2aC3)

2.1.2.9 Stem VIII (C1taC2aC3)

2.1.2.10 Stem X (staC1C2aC3)

2.1.3 Intensive verbs

2.1.3.1 Intensive I Stem

2.1.3.2 Intensive II Stem

2.1.4 Quadriliteral verbs

2.1.4.1 C1vC2C1vC2

2.1.4.2 C1vC2vC3vC3

2.1.4.3 C1vC2C3vC4

2.1.5 Derived stems from the quadriliteral

2.1.5.1 Stem I conjugated (C1aC2C3aC3)

2.1.5.2 Stem II Quadriliteral conjugated (tC1aC2C3CaC3)

2.1.6 Participles

2.1.6.1 Active participles

2.1.6.2 Stem I sound

2.1.6.3 Stem I defective

2.1.6.4 Stem I hollow

2.1.6.5 Stem I doubled

2.1.6.6 Stem II sound

2.1.6.7 Stem II defective

2.1.7 Participles from intensive verbs

2.1.7.1.1 Intensive I Stem

2.1.7.1.2 Intensive II Stem

2.2 Nominal Morphology

2.2.1 Forms derived from verbs

2.2.2 Forms derived from other nouns

2.2.3 Simple substantives (non-derivational) including loan words

2.2.4 Common substantive patterns

2.2.5 Compound substantives

2.2.7 The adjective

2.2.7.1 Relative adjectives

2.2.7.2 Colours

2.2.8 Personal Names

2.2.8.1 Male names

2.2.8.2 Female names

2.2.9 Number

2.2.9.1 The dual

2.2.9.2 The plural

2.2.9.3 Sound plural

2.2.9.4 The plural of relative adjectives

2.2.9.5 Broken plural

2.2.10 Numerals

2.2.10.1 Cardinals

2.2.10.2 Ordinals

2.2.11 Elatives

2.2.11.1 The comparative

2.2.11.2 The superlative

2.2.11.3 |ma-’af’al| elative

2.2.12 Gender

2.2.13 Pronouns

2.2.13.1 Subject pronouns

2.2.13.2 Object pronouns

2.2.13.2.1 Direct object pronouns

2.2.13.2.2 Possessive pronouns

2.2.13.3 Demonstrative pronouns

2.2.13.4 Relative pronouns

2.2.13.5 Interrogative pronouns

2.2.14 Adverbs

2.2.14.1 Place

2.2.14.2 Time

2.2.14.3 Manner

2.2.15 Prepositions

2.2.16 Conjunctions

2.2.17 Definite Articles

Notes

4. CHAPTER 3: SYNTAX

3.0 General

3.1 Sentence Types

3.1.1 Nominal Sentences

3.1.2 Nominal sentences with an adjectival predicate

3.1.3 Nominal sentences with a noun predicate

3.1.4 Nominal sentences with an adverbial predicate of place

3.1.5 Nominal sentences with a prepositional predicate

3.1.6 Nominal sentences with another sentence as the predicate

3.1.7 Interrogative

3.1.8 Equational sentences

3.1.9 Pseudo-verbal sentences

3.1.10 Other nominal sentences with special particles

3.2 Verbal Sentences

3.2.1 SV

3.2.2 SVO

3.2.3 SVA

3.2.4 SVOO

3.2.5 SVOA

3.2.6 SVOOA

3.2.7 SVOCA

3.3 Complex Sentences

3.3.1 Complex sentences with two clauses

3.3.2 Complex sentences with more than two clauses

3.4 Coordination

3.4.1 Particle joining two nominal conjoins

3.4.2 Particle joining a verbal conjoin followed by a verbal conjoin

3.4.3 Particle joining two verbal conjoins followed by a nominal conjoin

3.4.4 Particle joining a verbal conjoin followed by another verbal conjoin

3.4.5 Particle joining a nominal conjoin followed by a verbal conjoin

3.4.6 The particle ma...alla that is split between two conjoins

3.4.7 The particle yān

3.4.8 The particles kān and it-tāli in verbal sentences

3.5 The negative sentence

3.5.1 Simple negative sentences

3.5.2 Compound negative sentences

3.6 Adverbs and adverbial clauses

3.6.1 Adverbs as modifiers

3.6.2 Adverb clauses

3.6.2.1 Time

3.6.2.2 Manner

3.6.2.3 Purpose

3.6.2.4 Cause

3.6.2.5 Condition

3.6.2.5 Result

3.6.2.6 Degree

3.7 Interrogative sentences

3.7.1 Interrogative particles

3.7.1 .1 kamm / kammih / kammīnih

3.7.1 .2 kann

3.7.1 .3 āh [-æ:-] / hwāh [-α:-]

3.7.1 .4 hūmin

3.7.1.5 fyēn

3.7.1.6 tara

3.7.2 Intonational interrogative

3.7.3 Quasi-interrogative clauses

3.8 Passive voice

3.8.1 Apophonic or ablaut passive

3.8.2 The derived medio-passive

3.8.2.1 Stem II

3.8.2.2 Stem V

3.8.2.3 Stem II quadriliteral

3.8.2.4 Stem VII

3.8.2.5 Stem VIII

3.9 Particles preceding the perfective

3.9.1 The particle kud

3.9.2 The particle ‘ad

3.9.3 Particles preceding the imperfective

3.9.3.1 The bā- imperfect

3.9.3.2 kōd

3.9.3.3 habbin

3.9.4 The verb yirja‘

3.9.5 kān

3.9.6 Conditionals

3.9.6.1 ida / (i)la introducing real condition

3.9.6.2 ida / (i)la introducing unreal condition

3.9.7 Other auxiliaries in verbal sentences

3.10 Major co-referential devices in HA discourse

3.10.1 Endophoric reference

3.10.1.1 Anaphoric reference

3.10.1.1.1 Pro-forms

3.10.1.1.2 Repetition

3.10.1.1.3 Replacement

3.10.1.1.4 Ellipsis

3.10.1.2 Cataphoric reference

3.10.2 Exophoric reference

3.10.2.1 Situational

3.10.2.2 Non-situational

Notes

5. CHAPTER 4: VOCABULARY

4.1.0. Preliminary

4.1.1 Sources of HA vocabulary

4.1.2 HA words in old tongues

4.1.3 Classical Arabic and HA vocabulary not found in Modern Standard Arabic

4.1.4 The present scene: old and new words

4.1.5 Neologisms and other innovations

4.1.6 HA morphology and neologisms

4.1.7 Slang in HA

4.1.8 Loanwords in HA

4.1.8.0 Introduction

4.1.8.1 Other source languages

4.1.8.2 The linguistics of loan words in HA

4.1.8.3 Loan-word phonology

4.1.8.4 Major phonological processes in loan-word phonology

4.1.8.5 Syllabic phonology

4.1.8.5.1 Gemination

4.1.8.5.2 Initial clustering

4.1.8.5.3 Final -h addition

4.1.8.5.4 Vowel lengthening

4.1.8.5.5 Emphasis

4.1.8.5.6 Segment substitution

4.1.8.5.7 Syllable deletion

4.1.8.5.8 Morphological and syntactical integration

4.1.8.5.9 Loan-words in pedginized HA

4.1.8.5.10 HA outside Hadramawt

4.2 Major Structural semantic fields of HA vocabulary

4.2.1 Kinship terminology

4.2.1.1 by blood

4.2.1.2 by partial blood

4.2.1.3 by marriage

4.2.1.4 by fostering (garābah b ir-ṛḍā‘)

4.2.1.5 by affiliation

4.2.2 Colour terminology

4.2.3 Body parts

4.2.4 Cooking terminology

4.2.4.1 Nouns

4.2.4.2 Verbs

4.2.5 Shapes and opposed terms

4.2.6 Voice and sound quality

4.2.7 Texture

4.3 Basic Vocabulary

4.3.1 Arabic/English

4.3.2 English/Arabic

Notes

6. CHAPTER 5: TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS

Arabic Texts

Introduction:

Text 1: Seiyun

Text 2: Tarīm

Text 3: al-Ḥoṭah (Ḥawṭat Aḥmad bin Zayn)

Text 4: Music

Text 5: Palm trees fukṭah fertilisation

Text 6: al-ʿUqdah (a small town near Ḥawṭat Aḥmad bin Zayn)

Text 7: kaswat il-ʿīd

Text 8: al-Shiḥr

Text 9: il-ḥarīs

Thematic Passages

Text 10: ʿĪd Festival

Text 11: Marriage

Text 12: Building

English Translation

Translation1: Seiyun

Translation 2: Tarīm

Translation 3: al-Ḥoṭah (Ḥawṭat Aḥmad bin Zayn)

Translation 4: Music

Translation 5: Palm trees fukṭah fertilisation

Translation 6: al-ʿUqdah

Translation 7: ʿĪd’s clothing

Translation 8: al-Shiḥr

Translation 9: ḥarīs dish

Thematic Passages

Translation 10: ʿĪd Festival

Translation 11: Marriage

Translation 12: Building

Notes

Research Objectives and Themes

This thesis provides a comprehensive descriptive linguistic analysis of Ḥaḍramī Arabic (HA), specifically focusing on the dialect spoken in the Wādī Ḥaḍramawt region of Yemen. It aims to document the phonological, morphological, and syntactic systems of the dialect, while also exploring its vocabulary and sociolinguistic context through transcriptions of recorded field interviews.

• Phonological inventory and segmental phonology of the HA dialect.
• Morphological processes, with a primary focus on verbal and nominal structures.
• Syntactic patterns, including sentence types, negation, and discourse markers.
• Lexical analysis, covering loanwords, neologisms, and historical semantic fields.
• Documentation of cultural life through transcribed oral texts and translations.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

CHAPTER 1: PHONOLOGY: Provides a detailed phonetic and phonological description of HA consonants and vowels, including syllabic structures and intonation patterns.

CHAPTER 2: MORPHOLOGY: Analyzes the verbal and nominal systems of the dialect, discussing verb stems, partciples, and word formation patterns.

CHAPTER 3: SYNTAX: Examines sentence types, verbal and nominal constructions, complex sentence structures, and discourse devices within the dialect.

CHAPTER 4: VOCABULARY: Documents the origins, historical layers, and loanword influences of HA vocabulary, organized into semantic fields.

CHAPTER 5: TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS: Presents original transcriptions of field interviews recorded in various towns of the Wādī Ḥaḍramawt, accompanied by English translations.

Keywords

Ḥaḍramī Arabic, Dialectology, Yemen, Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Vocabulary, Loanwords, Semantics, Sociolinguistics, Wādī Ḥaḍramawt, Arabic Dialects, Fieldwork, Transcriptions, Descriptive Linguistics

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this research about?

This thesis is a descriptive linguistic study of the spoken Arabic dialect used in the Ḥaḍramawt governorate of Yemen, known as Ḥaḍramī Arabic (HA).

What are the central research themes?

The work covers four core linguistic areas: phonology, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary, while also incorporating sociolinguistic observations from field data.

What is the primary goal of the study?

The primary goal is to provide a comprehensive, synchronic description of HA as spoken by native speakers, filling a gap in the literature regarding this specific Yemeni dialect.

Which scientific method is utilized?

The author uses a descriptive and data-oriented approach, relying on personal intuition as a native speaker, supplemented by field recordings, interviews with informants, and archival manuscript research.

What does the main body address?

The main body systematically breaks down the dialect's sound system, word construction rules, sentence building, and the origins of its lexicon, concluding with authentic recorded texts.

Which keywords best describe this study?

Key terms include Ḥaḍramī Arabic, dialectology, Yemen, phonology, morphology, syntax, and loanword analysis.

How is the vowel harmony described in this dialect?

The study identifies vowel harmony (VH) as a phonological process that explains vowel quality shifts based on the presence of emphatic consonants or specific back/front quality in neighboring syllables.

What is the significance of the transcriptions in Chapter Five?

The transcriptions provide essential primary data for diachronic and sociolinguistic research, offering a rare glimpse into the oral culture, folklore, and daily life of Ḥaḍramawt.