On Syllabication, Stress and Intonation in an Urban Arabic Dialect Noureddine Guella

Associate Professor, Department of European Languages and Translation,

College of Languages and Translation (C.O.L.T.),

King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The symbols used here are largely those provided by the International Phonetic Alphabet, although for typological reasons other symbols are resorted to. For example, the emphatic consonants will be represented by capital letters. The short, central vowel often referred to as 'schwa', and much in use in many dialectal descriptions, is here replaced by [^] to render a more accurate phonetic description deemed useful for this kind of study.

In his historically richly documented article "la syllabe, sa nature, son origine et ses transformations", B. Hála (1961, 69-143) thinks that the syllable constitutes "l'unité fondamentale du point de vue phonétique" and its structure may also have "des propriétés dites 'phonologiques'"(96). It is formed by a succession of stricture and aperture (and eventually another stricture). Stricture is formed by consonants (C) and aperture by vowels (V). The so-called syllabic consonants functioning as centres do not apply in the dialect under study. Vowels are the primary elements and their characteristic aperture is the centre of the syllable and carries its prominence, as least as far as the isolated syllable is concerned. The initial and final strictures may be formed by two consonants. The syllable then represents "une entité linguistique complexe, formée de phonèmes" (113). One of its functions is to describe and explain the constraints on sequences of these phonemes, i.e. the sequence of C's and V's. One way of doing this is by setting up a syllable structure, thus making the problem of syllable-boundaries division less difficult.

2. 
   Closed vs. Open syllables
   

In the dialect under study, and in terms of the consonant (C) and vowel (V) combination, the following structures are exhibited by the four above-quoted types of syllable:

1. 
   Short Closed VC; VCC; CVC; CVCC; CCVC; CCVCC.
   
2. 
   Short Open : V; CV; CCV.
   
3. 
   Long Closed : CV:C; CCV:C; CV:CC.
   
4. 
   Long Open : CV:; CCV:.
   

The combinations of structures that are not applicable, especially the long open syllables in final position in a word, are discarded. The following structures may thus be exhibited.

1. 
   Short Closed + Short Closed
   

In (2) above, and after VCC-, CVCC-, and CCVCC- (which all end in a cluster of two consonants), the following syllable must not start with a consonant cluster. E.g.:

^sm-kum ; k^lb-kum ; sm^ςt-kum

^sm-fiςl ; (mæ)-d^rt-l^kš ; (mæ)-sm^ςt-l^kš.
- CVC f^l-f^l

- CVCC mæ- s^m- ςætš

(3) CVC- + - CCVC m^r-md^t

- CCVCC mæ m^r-md^tš

The restriction in (3) above is that after CVC-, the following syllable must start with a short vowel.

3. 
   Short Closed + Long Closed
   

3. 
   Short Open + Long Closed
   

and

3. 
   Long Closed + Short Closed ; and Long Closed + Short Open
   

The combinations of the structures in (e) above may be summarized as follows: a closed syllable containing a long vowel may be followed by either a short closed or a short open syllable neither of which must start or end (or both) with a consonant cluster of any form. Thus (11) below:

After a long open syllable, the following syllable may be either a short closed or a short open one, and must not be vowel- initial.

Thus:

-CVC

CV: -CVCC

+ -CCVC

(12) -CCVCC

CCV: -CV

-CCV
Examples: / qæ:b^l/; /sæ:m^ħt; /tsæ:m^ħt/; /tsæ:mħ^t/; /(mæ)-sæ:mħ^tš/; /(mæ)-tsæ:mħ^tš/; /ži:næ/; /kli:næ/; /mæ:klæ/; /sni:slæ/.
Finally, it should be noted that an important alternation of syllable constitution affects CCVC forms : these forms become of CVCC structure when they are followed by vowel-initial suffixes. The phenomenon, which is not automatic and not general, is known as "ressaut" in the French literature (cf. W. Marçais, 1902:51 ff.) and is schematized as follows:
CCVC → CVCC + Vowel-initial suffixes
Examples: Verbs: /br^d/ 'it cooled' → /b^rd-^t/ 'she became cold'

/lςæb/ 'he played' → /læςb-u/ 'they played'

/rž^l/ 'foot' → /r^žl-u/ 'his foot'

/zr^q/ 'blue (masc.sg.) → /z^rq-æ/ 'blue (fem.sg.)

1. 
   For all verbal forms in the imperative, the stress is always on the first syllable, whatever the structure of the following syllable. E.g.:
   

' ^n-xælςu Be frightened! (pl.)

'^s-tæςžeb Be surprised! (sg.)

2. 
   (a) In all other forms, verbal, nominal and other, the stress is taken by the long syllable (closed or open) whatever its position in the word. E.g.:
   

'šæ: f^k he saw you (sg.)

'žæ:b-lek he brought to you (sg.)

m'li:ħæ good, nice (fem. sg.)

m^t 'fæ:r^q separated (masc. sg.)

m^t 'fæ:h^m understanding, agreed (masc. sg.)

m^št^r'ki:n sharing, partners (masc. pl.)

mk^m 'li:n (having) finished (masc. pl.)

m^x'lu:ςi:n surprised, stunned (masc. pl.)

m'sæ:mħæ:t forgiving, forgiven (fem. pl.)

3. 
   When a word consists of two (or more) short syllables, the stress falls on the penultimate syllable. E.g.:
   

'f^lf^l pepper

^l-'f^lf^l the pepper

s^m'ςætnæ she heard us

t^q'lebkum she will overturn you (pl.)

^l-'k^lwæ the kidney

'ql^bkum he overturned you (pl.)
The two main exceptions to rule (3.) above are:

1. 
   the imperative forms of all verbs, where the stress ia always on the first syllable (cf. Rule (1.) above);
   

- F II R : means that the word is an example of Form II of the Regular verb;

- F VII D: means that the word is an example of Form VII of the Defective verb; etc.)
F II R : x^s's^r ; k^d'd^b

F II G : x^m'm^m ; ħ^f'f^f

F II A : w^l'l^f ; w^q'q^f

F II H : f^w'w^t ; š^w'w^f ; t^j'j^r

F II D : n^s'sæ ; ς^r'ræ ; γ^t'ta

F VII R : ^nx't^f ; ^nx'l^q

F VII G : ^n'š^qq ; ^n'd^ll

F VII A : ^nw'z^n ; ^nw'r^d

F VII D : ^n'ςmæ ; ^n'qlæ

F VIII R: ^ft'r^q ; ^nt'fæx

F VIII G: ^m't^dd

F VIII D: ^rt'xæ

Intonation may be broadly defined as the patterns of fluctuation of pitches that characterize a particular language, thus forming a "special phonological system" (Daneš, 1960:34).

1. 
   delimitation of the parts of speech (which may correspond to syntactic types or units): the points of delimitation, however, are determined by the speaker's desire or ability to lump stretches of speech together as 'wholes' in the complete utterance; this further depends on the "relation of the listener to the utterance" (Daneš, 1960:42) ;
   
2. 
   the theme-rheme organization or integration, the principle of which suggests that the element introducing new information (the rheme) is more likely to bear a tonic or nuclear accent than what is already known from the situation or from the previous utterance (i.e., the theme). Among the secondary functions of intonation, the most important one is that of characterizing the utterance "according to its intention" (op.cit.p.48).
   

1. 
   Theme-Rheme Organization
   

The utterance has a neutral, normal shape; the centre of intonation is in its automatic position.

(I told you not to inform him) (and not not to get him drunk)

The centre of intonation with the final contour is located on the rheme which is here a rheme emphasized for contrast. Emphasis for contrast is "intended to show that a word is contrasted with another (…) or that a word introduces a new and unexpected idea" (D. Jones, 1960:227). Here word-order may be used in the theme-rheme organization. E.g.:

mæ txab'ru:š qutlek (Don't inform him, I told you)
(iii) æ:næ qutlek mæ txab'ru:š ( I told you not to inform him )

Here the centre of intonation is in a de-automatized position; it is carried by [æ:næ] 'I' which is emphasized for contrast.

( I told you [not her] not to inform him)

Here again, the situation is similar to (iii) above, except that here the centre of intonation is carried by [li:k] ; the latter is in fact brought in to emphasize the pronoun [-ek] which is unstressed in that position.

2. 
   Utterance Intention
   

1. 
   Statements
   

The last stressed syllable in the tone group (i.e. the long syllable in [j^m'mæ:h]) is the tonic syllable. However, in (b) below,

2. 
   Commands and Questions
   

Questions may be divided broadly into questions requiring 'yes' or 'no' as an answer, and those using interrogative words to introduce them (information questions).

1. 
   'Yes/no questions
   

Here again, the rising pitch may start earlier in the sentence. E.g.:

strong doubt is conveyed, and the enquiry requires a more definite answer. A similar high rise is found in (j)

with the meaning 'did you say perhaps?'. This is to be contrasted with a low-rising intonation which may convey a different meaning.

In (k) below, the low rise signifies the possibility of the previous utterance or situation.
(k) twæ:li ; bæ:læ:k ('it's possible')

2. 
   Information Questions
   

Another type of question that takes a falling intonation is the one implying a question with a demand for a satisfactory answer (approaching a request). E.g.:

3. 
   Another type of questions may be termed demand questions. They convey the meaning of insistance and disapproval; they require that the listener admits the act being discussed. E.g.:
   

which means "admit that you hit him, I know that you hit him". A variation of this pattern is found in the rising-falling intonation which conveys certainty and even menace. (p) below may be said as a menace and may even be uttered during

retaliation on the person having performed the act or action being questioned. Similarly,

implies strong disagreement about "her going there", and that "she did so without my permission", and even that "she may be punished for that".

[1] Daneš, F. "Sentence Intonation from a Functional Point of View".

[2] Guella, N. A Linguistic Investigation of the Arabic Dialect of Nédroma

[3] Hála, B. "La syllable, sa nature, son origine et ses transformations".

[4] Jones, D. An Outline of English Phonetics. London, (1960).

[5] Marçais, W. Le dialecte arabe parlé à Tlemcen. Paris: Ernest Leroux. (1902).

[6] Pike, K.L. The Intonation of American English. University of Michigan