{"id":16038,"date":"2018-06-14T06:21:12","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T06:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/arabic\/?p=16038"},"modified":"2018-06-14T06:21:12","modified_gmt":"2018-06-14T06:21:12","slug":"the-arabic-morphological-measure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/arabic\/the-arabic-morphological-measure\/","title":{"rendered":"The Arabic Morphological Measure"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Arabic morphological measure \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0650\u064a\u0652\u0632\u064e\u0627\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0635\u0651\u064e\u0631\u0652\u0641\u0650\u064a <\/strong>is a measure that is proposed by Arabic grammarians to know and weigh the structure of words. It helps in understanding the internal structure of words, namely knowing whether the constituent letters of a word are essential or additional, and in deriving new words from the same root. The bulk of words in the Arabic lexicon are tri-consonantal (i.e. of three letters). This is known as the root. Therefore, Arabic grammarians proposed a measure of three letters: \u0641<\/strong>, \u0639<\/strong>, and \u0644 <\/strong>(\u0641\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e<\/strong>). This post is about the Arabic morphological measure and how it works.<\/p>\n

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The letters of the Measure:<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

The reason behind choosing \u0641\u0639\u0644 <\/strong>as a measure is two-fold. For one, \u0641\u0639\u0644 <\/strong>is an utterance that encompasses all action verbs in Arabic. That is, \u0641\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to do\u2019 and \u0641\u0650\u0639\u0652\u0644 <\/strong>\u2018an action\u2019 can replace any verb or verbal noun. Therefore, writing<\/em>, listening<\/em>, and sleeping <\/em>are all \u0623\u064e\u0641\u0652\u0639\u064e\u0627\u0644 <\/strong>\u2018actions\u2019 (plural of \u0641\u0650\u0639\u0652\u0644<\/strong>). Besides, these three letters \/ sounds represent the three main points of articulations of the Arabic sound system. That is, \u0641 <\/strong>is produced from the front of the mouth, \u0644 <\/strong>is produced from the middle of the mouth, and \u0639 <\/strong>is produced from the back of the mount, the throat.<\/p>\n

How It Works with Root Words:<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

The first letter of a word is called \u0641\u064e\u0627\u0621\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629<\/strong> \u2018the fa\u2019a <\/em>of the word\u2019; the second letter is called \u0639\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0646\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629 <\/strong>\u2018the \u2018ain<\/em> of the word; and the third letter is called \u0644\u0627\u0645\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629 <\/strong>\u2018the laam<\/em> of the word.\u2019 For example, in the word \u0643\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0628\u064e<\/strong>, the \u0643\u0640 <\/strong>is the fa\u2019a <\/em>of the word \u0641\u064e\u0627\u0621\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629<\/strong>; \u0640\u062a\u0640 <\/strong>is the \u2018ain<\/em> of the word \u0639\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0646\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629<\/strong>; and \u0640\u0628 <\/strong>is the laam <\/em>of the word \u0644\u0627\u0645\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629<\/strong>, hence \u0643\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0628\u064e <\/strong>is weighed \/ measured as \u0641\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e<\/strong>. Diacritical marks are copied from the word to the measure. Similarly, \u0641\u064e\u0647\u0650\u0645\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to understand\u2019 is weighed as \u0641\u064e\u0639\u0650\u0644\u064e<\/strong>; \u0642\u064f\u0641\u0652\u0644 <\/strong>\u2018lock\u2019 is weighed as \u0641\u064f\u0639\u0652\u0644<\/strong>; and \u0636\u064e\u0631\u0652\u0628 <\/strong>\u2018beating\u2019 is weighed as \u0641\u064e\u0639\u0652\u0644 <\/strong>and so forth.<\/p>\n

The measure works well and consistently with tri-consonantal root words as each letter in the word is matched with a letter in the measure. If the root word has four essential letters, we add one more laam<\/em> to the measure. For example, \u0628\u064e\u0639\u0652\u062b\u064e\u0631\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to scatter\u2019 and \u062f\u064e\u062d\u0652\u0631\u064e\u062c\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to roll\u2019 are both weighed as \u0641\u064e\u0639\u0652\u0644\u064e\u0644\u064e<\/strong>. If the word has five essential letters, we add two more laam <\/em>to the measure, as in \u0633\u064e\u0641\u064e\u0631\u0652\u062c\u064e\u0644<\/strong> which is weighed as \u0641\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0644<\/strong> (\u0641\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0644\u0652\u0644\u064e\u0644<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

How It Works with Complex Words:<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

A complex word in Arabic is a word (a verb or a noun) that has one, two, or three additional letters. The root of such words is always tri-consonantal. If one letter is added to the tri-consonantal word, the resulting word is called four-letter word \u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629 \u0631\u064f\u0628\u064e\u0627\u0639\u0650\u064a\u0651\u064e\u0629<\/strong>; if two letters are added, the new word is called five-letter word \u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629 \u062e\u064f\u0645\u064e\u0627\u0633\u0650\u064a\u0651\u064e\u0629<\/strong>; and if three letters are added, the resulting word is called six-letter word \u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629 \u0633\u064f\u062f\u064e\u0627\u0633\u0650\u064a\u0651\u064e\u0629<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

How It Works with Four-letter Words: <\/u><\/p>\n

If the additional letter is a repetition (or a geminate) of another letter in the root word, we simply repeat the corresponding letter in the measure. For example, \u0639\u064e\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0645\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to educate\u2019, \u0642\u064e\u062f\u0651\u064e\u0645\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to present, introduce\u2019, and \u0642\u064e\u0637\u0651\u064e\u0639\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to cut into pieces\u2019 are weighed as \u0641\u064e\u0639\u0651\u064e\u0644\u064e<\/strong>, that is by repeating the \u2018ain<\/em> of the word, \u0639\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0646\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629<\/strong>. Words like \u0634\u064e\u062f\u0651\u064e\u062f\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to emphasize\u2019, \u0647\u064e\u062f\u0651\u064e\u062f\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to threaten\u2019, and \u062c\u064e\u0644\u0652\u0628\u064e\u0628\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to put a garment on\u2019 are weighed as \u0641\u064e\u0639\u0652\u0644\u064e\u0644\u064e<\/strong>. To explain, in \u0634\u064e\u062f\u0651\u064e\u062f\u064e <\/strong>(\u0634\u064e\u062f\u0652\u062f\u064e\u062f<\/strong>), the first letter \u0634 <\/strong>is \u0641\u064e\u0627\u0621 \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629<\/strong>, the second letter \u062f\u0652 <\/strong>is \u0639\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0646\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629<\/strong>, the third letter \u062f\u064e <\/strong>is \u0644\u0627\u0645\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629<\/strong>, and the fourth letter is a repetition of the third, so we add laam <\/em>to the measure, hence \u0634\u064e\u062f\u0651\u064e\u062f\u064e = \u0641\u064e\u0639\u0652\u0644\u064e\u0644\u064e<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If the additional letter is neither essential nor a repetition of the root word; instead, it is a letter of addition, we simply insert it the measure according to its occurrence in the word. For example, in \u0643\u064e\u0627\u062a\u0650\u0628 <\/strong>\u2018writer\u2019, the root is \u0643\u062a\u0628<\/strong>, and it is measured as \u0641\u0639\u0644<\/strong>. The letter of addition is alif<\/em> and it occurs after \u0643<\/strong> (which is the fa\u2019a <\/em>of the word \u0641\u064e\u0627\u0621\u064f \u0627\u0644\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0645\u064e\u0629<\/strong>), so we insert it after the \u0641 <\/strong>in the measure, hence \u0643\u064e\u0627\u062a\u0650\u0628 <\/strong>is weighed as \u0641\u064e\u0627\u0639\u0650\u0644<\/strong>; \u0645\u064e\u0643\u0652\u062a\u064f\u0648\u0628 <\/strong>is weighed as \u0645\u064e\u0641\u0652\u0639\u064f\u0648\u0644<\/strong>; \u0645\u064e\u0643\u0652\u062a\u064e\u0628 <\/strong>is weighed as \u0645\u064e\u0641\u0652\u0639\u064e\u0644<\/strong> and so forth.<\/p>\n

How It Works with five-or-more-letter Words: <\/u><\/p>\n

The letters of addition in Arabic are ten: \u0623\/\u0621, \u0627, \u062a, \u0633, \u0644, \u0645, \u0646, \u0647\u0640, \u0648, \u064a<\/strong>. To remember them easily, they are put in the words \/ phrases: \u0623\u064e\u0645\u064e\u0627\u0646 \u0648\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0633\u0652\u0647\u0650\u064a\u0652\u0644<\/strong>, \u0647\u064e\u0646\u064e\u0627\u0621 \u0648\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0633\u0652\u0644\u0650\u064a\u0652\u0645<\/strong>, or \u0633\u064e\u0623\u064e\u0644\u0652\u062a\u0650\u0645\u064f\u0648\u0652\u0646\u0650\u064a\u0652\u0647\u0627<\/strong>. When we weigh a word that has letters of additions, we simply inserted them where they occur in the measure after identifying the root word. For example, in the word \u0627\u0650\u0646\u0652\u0643\u064e\u0633\u064e\u0631\u064e <\/strong>\u2018breaks (by itself)\u2019, the root is \u0643\u064e\u0633\u064e\u0631\u064e <\/strong>which is weighed as \u0641\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e <\/strong>and the letters of addition are alif<\/em> and nuun<\/em> \u0627\u0650\u0646\u0652\u0640<\/strong>, and they occur before the \u0641\u064e\u0640<\/strong>, so we insert them before the \u0641\u0640 <\/strong>in the measure, hence \u0627\u0650\u0646\u0652\u0643\u064e\u0633\u064e\u0631\u064e <\/strong>is weighed as \u0627\u0650\u0646\u0652\u0641\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e<\/strong>. Similarly, \u0627\u0650\u0633\u0652\u062a\u064e\u063a\u0652\u0641\u064e\u0631\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to seek forgiveness\u2019 is weighed as \u0627\u0650\u0633\u0652\u062a\u064e\u0641\u0652\u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e<\/strong>; \u0642\u064e\u0627\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0644\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to fight one another\u2019 as \u0641\u064e\u0627\u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e<\/strong>; \u062a\u064e\u0643\u064e\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0645\u064e <\/strong>\u2018to speak\u2019 as \u062a\u064e\u0641\u064e\u0639\u0651\u064e\u0644\u064e<\/strong>; and so forth.<\/p>\n

Additional Notes:<\/u><\/p>\n