Arabic Vowels: Misconceptions Clarified

Abstract

Purpose: Contrary to the prevailing scholastic agreement that the Arabic language has only six vowels, three of them being short (a, i, u) and three of them long (ā, ī, ū), this study indicates the presence of a much more complicated vowel inventory in the Arabic language. By adopting a mixed-method approach that combines qualitative and quantitative evidence, this paper presents an intricate, empirical examination of the Arabic phonology system. Methodology: The study employed acoustic analysis combined with manual phonetic transcription and statistical tests for Quranic Standard Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic. It named eight different short vowels and a complicated cluster of diphthongs and triphthongs. The study involved different data sets which included religious texts as well as conversational clips that used intricate sampling techniques for representative sampling across dialects. Findings: The findings challenge conventional views in terms of the number of perceived Arabic vowels (which turned out to be around 24), as well as providing directions and inputs for future work with a phonology-based framework. Such an inclusive view seeks to enhance the appreciation of the complexities of phonology in Arabic speech. Implications to Research and practice. future researchers should pay attention to vital issues like school curricula exploring the Arabic vowel system.