Quantifying lexical and pronunciation variation between three Arabic varieties*
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Mahmoud Abunasser
Abstract
This paper reports on computational measures of linguistic variation that quantify the lexical and pronunciation variation between three varieties of Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, and Gulf Arabic. We provide three measures of linguistic variation; all computed based on elicitation of the Swadesh list. The first measure is the lexical variation based on the percentage of noncognate words. The second is another lexical measure that takes into account a pronunciation aspect by considering the IPA transcription of the same word list. The third is a pronunciation measure that computes the variation of the IPA transcription of the cognate words in the Swadesh list. The results of the three measures show that geographically proximate languages are also linguistically closer to each other.
Abstract
This paper reports on computational measures of linguistic variation that quantify the lexical and pronunciation variation between three varieties of Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, and Gulf Arabic. We provide three measures of linguistic variation; all computed based on elicitation of the Swadesh list. The first measure is the lexical variation based on the percentage of noncognate words. The second is another lexical measure that takes into account a pronunciation aspect by considering the IPA transcription of the same word list. The third is a pronunciation measure that computes the variation of the IPA transcription of the cognate words in the Swadesh list. The results of the three measures show that geographically proximate languages are also linguistically closer to each other.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction xi
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Part I: Syntax and its interfaces
- Locative prepositional phrases and inalienable PLACE in Lebanese Arabic* 3
- On the syntax of exceptive constructions in Egyptian Arabic* 35
- Verbal and nominal plurals and the syntaxmorphology interface 59
- Exploring the syntax-phonology interface in Arabic 75
- A salience-based analysis of the Tunisian Arabic demonstrative hāk as used in oral narratives* 99
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Part II: Arabic Linguistic Variation
- Moroccan artists ‘blacklisted’ 123
- Lateral fricative ḍād in Tihāmat Qaḥtān 151
- Arabic ȷ̌ and the class of Sun Letters 171
- Quantifying lexical and pronunciation variation between three Arabic varieties* 187
-
Part III: First Language Acquisition
- Compensatory lengthening 215
- Index 237
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction xi
-
Part I: Syntax and its interfaces
- Locative prepositional phrases and inalienable PLACE in Lebanese Arabic* 3
- On the syntax of exceptive constructions in Egyptian Arabic* 35
- Verbal and nominal plurals and the syntaxmorphology interface 59
- Exploring the syntax-phonology interface in Arabic 75
- A salience-based analysis of the Tunisian Arabic demonstrative hāk as used in oral narratives* 99
-
Part II: Arabic Linguistic Variation
- Moroccan artists ‘blacklisted’ 123
- Lateral fricative ḍād in Tihāmat Qaḥtān 151
- Arabic ȷ̌ and the class of Sun Letters 171
- Quantifying lexical and pronunciation variation between three Arabic varieties* 187
-
Part III: First Language Acquisition
- Compensatory lengthening 215
- Index 237
