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In:Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XXIV–XXV: Papers from the annual symposia on Arabic Linguistics. Texas, 2010 and Arizona, 2011
Edited by Samira Farwaneh and Hamid Ouali
[Studies in Arabic Linguistics 1] 2014
► pp. 3–20

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Geminate representation in Arabic

 | Indiana University
 | Indiana University
Published online: 29 August 2014
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/sal.1.04dav
Arabic dialects are characterized by the occurrence of geminate consonants in word-medial and word-final position. This article relates the patterning of Arabic geminates to the on-going controversy in phonological theory concerning the representation of geminate consonants. Two views are contrasted: the prosodic length analysis of geminates whereby a geminate is underlyingly a single consonant phoneme linked to two C-slots, and the moraic weight representation where a geminate is underlyingly a single consonant linked to a mora. We specifically argue that the patterning of geminate consonants in Arabic dialects largely supports the moraic weight representation. Evidence comes from phenomena such as the patterning of word-final geminates, the behavior of geminates with respect to stress, geminates in loanwords, and geminates in first language acquisition. We show that each of these phenomena supports the moraic weight representation of geminates.
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