The Phonological Fact and Notion of The Tä’ät of Al-Bazzi
Zayd Alqarallat, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Al al-Bayt University, Mafraq, Jordan.
Abstract
This study sought to verify a remarkable phonological phenomenon appeared in the reading of Al-Bazzi (d.250H/864A.D), who has been one of the relaters of Ibin Kathir’s recitation, which is considered as on of the main seven Koranic recitations. The scholar observed that thirty one present verbs, that were preceded by double (t) sound (i.e., the adressee tä’ and the reflexive tä’), have been performed by Al-Bazzi in the manner of assimilation. Such reading of tä’ gemination (double sound) resulted an irregular phonological phenomenon, which allows syllable-initial cluster of two consonants, in contrast to classical Arabic, which allows no such syllable structure, but only at the medial and final.
In order to accomplish its purpose, it examined the realization of such phenomenon within three different phonological environments, firstly, tä’ is preceded by long vowel (such as wa$lä# tta$nä$ba$zü#), secondly, tä’ is preceded by consonant with short vowel ( such as ta$kä$du#tta$mai$ia$zu#), and thirdly, tä’ is preceded by consonant only (such as hal#tta$rab$ba$sü$na#). Furthermore, the study reviewed points of ancient Arab linguists and riciters related to this issue, to find out, among its main other conclusions, that controversial about assimilation occurence on such patterns, may, ascribed to justification of articulation performance rather than the fact of such performance