The Syllable in Arabic: Its Structure and Development

Abstract

The research deals with a syllable in Arabic, the syllable in Arabic is characterized by its continuous development. Al-Farabi had a clear influence in naming some types of syllables, including the short syllable, the long syllable, and the closed syllable. He also played a role in launching some terms in this field, such as the term vowels, the voiced, and the unvoiced consonant. He also confirmed the equality of the time of pronouncing letters and vowels unless the vowels are extended. Since this stage, the syllable was not characterized by stability, but rather we find new terms and new forms for it, such as the closed, extended, silent syllable, the open, extended syllable, the closed, extended syllable, and the semi-movement syllable.

      The Arabic syllable is characterized by flexibility, as it accepts change at its beginning without regard to the type of sound with which it begins, and it accepts change at its end, whether by deletion, merging into another, division or splitting. The open, intermediate syllable accepts extension and contraction according to the conditions imposed by the phonetic rules, and the closed, extended, silent syllable only comes as a stop.