1.3: Long Vowels المدود

Long Vowels (Al-Mudood) المدود

Learning Objectives

In this section, you will be able to:

• Learn about the Arabic letters' articulation places and the long vowels in Arabic.
• Differentiate between the long and short vowels.

Introduction

A letter is a sound that needs an articulation point, so each letter has a different sound and articulation (see figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)). Each letter has a general and specific articulation to differentiate the sound and produce particular characteristics that define the sound of the letter.

The Articulation places of the Arabic Letters are:

1. The empty space in the mouth and the throat “Al-jawf”

2. The throat "Al-halq"

3. The tongue "Al-lisan"

4. The lips "As-shafatan"

5. The nasal passage "Al-khayshoom"

The sounds of the long vowels are created when the air vibrates the vocal cords in the larynx. The space in the mouth and throat “Al-jawf” is the articulation place for the three long vowels, so there is no specific point for articulation. There are three long vowels in Arabic, and they are written using three letters. The pronunciation of each long vowel is twice as long as the regular English vowel and double the length of the short vowel in Arabic. The estimated sound length for the long vowel is the time for opening and closing the index (pointer) finger. Syllables in Arabic begin with a consonant with a short vowel and can't start with a long vowel.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): The five articulation places of the Arabic letters.

Long Vowels in Arabic

Long vowels in Arabic are presented by three letters Alif, Waw, and Yaa. These letters can have different functions as a consonant or long vowel.

The letter Alif is the long vowel ا=aa. Hear this sound in the recording below.

The letter Waw is the long vowel و= oo/uu. Hear this sound in the recording below.

The letter Yaa is the long vowel ي=ee/ii. Hear this sound in the recording below.

Long Vowel Alif (ا)

Pronunciation of the long vowel Alif (ا)

Listen and repeat

The long vowel Alif "ا" is pronounced "aa" which is the double time of the short vowel "Fataha." The long vowel Alif "ا" is preceded by a consonant with a short vowel "Fataha." Open your mouth the same way when you open your mouth to say "aaa" in front of the doctor to pronounce the long vowel "Alif." You should know that the long vowel Alif following an emphatic consonant takes on emphatic properties.

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Pronouncing the long vowel Alif "aa"

Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): Shape of the mouth, pronouncing the long vowel Alif "aa"

Writing of the long vowel Alif (ا)

The letter Alif is written at the beginning of the word as a single stroke, drawn from top to bottom. In addition, the letter Alif is written from the bottom up when it follows another letter. The letter Alif does not connect to the letter following it, since it does not have a connector from the left side. The letter Alif has one connector from the right side to connect to the preceding letter.

The long vowel Alif (ا)

The form	Final form of the long vowel Alif "ا"	Medial form of the long vowel Alif "ا"	Initial form of the long vowel Alif "ا"	Independent form of the long vowel Alif "ا"
The shape	ا / ــا	ــا	ا	ا

Long Vowel Waw (و)

Pronunciation of the long vowel Waw (و)

Listen and repeat

The long vowel Waw "و" is pronounced "uu" or "oo" like in the word "wool," which is the double time of the short vowel "Dhama." Therefore, the long vowel Waw "و" is preceded by a consonant with a short vowel "Dhama." The shape of the mouth when pronouncing the long vowel Waw is a small circle the size of a pencil bottom.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Pronouncing the long vowel Waw "oo"

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Shape of the mouth, pronouncing the long vowel Waw "oo"

Writing of the long vowel Waw (و)

Like the letter Alif, the letter Waw does not connect to the following letter. To write independent or initial (و) start on the line, loop clockwise to the left and up, and then swing down into the tail, which should dip well below the line. If there is a connector on the right side of the letter, it leads to the beginning point of the loop.

The form	Final form of the long vowel Waw و	Medial form of the long vowel Waw و	Initial form of the long vowel Waw و	Independent form of the long vowel Waw و
The shape	و / ــو	ــو	و	و

Long Vowel Yaa (ي)

Pronunciation of the long vowel Yaa (ي)

Listen and repeat

The long vowel Yaa (ي) is pronounced "ee" or "ii" like in the word "deep," which is the double time of the short vowel "Kasra." Therefore, the long vowel Yaa "ي" is preceded by a consonant with a short vowel "Kasra." The shape of the mouth when pronouncing the long vowel Yaa is like a straight line.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Pronouncing the long vowel Yaa "ee"

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Shape of the mouth, pronouncing the long vowel Yaa "ee"

Writing of the long vowel Yaa (ي)

The independent and final forms of the letter Yaa (ي) differ from the initial and medial forms. All shapes of (ي) retain the two dots below. Writing the independent (ي), start above the line and curve slightly upwards and around in an s-like shape. Continue below the line into a wide, flat curve, and make sure to bring the tail all the way back up over the line. The initial and medial ي starts with the tooth and puts the dots beneath the body, letter ي connects to the letters that follow and precede it.

The form	Final form of the long vowel Waw ي	Medial form of the long vowel Waw ي	Initial form of the long vowel Waw ي	Independent form of the long vowel Waw ي
The shape	ــي	ــيــ	يــ	ي

Watch this video to learn more about the long and short vowels in Arabic.

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Listen to these words. You hear the word with the short vowels, and then the word with the long vowel.

The Words

Words with three letters with short vowels and the same word with long vowel

The Letters	The word with the short vowels	The word with the long vowel
ع ل م	عَلَم	عَالَم
ش ب ت	شَبَت	شَابَـت
خ ر ب	خَرَبَ	َخَراب
ك ت ب	كَتَبَ	كَاتَب

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Practice to write the long vowels ” حروف المد.”

Practicing the long vowels المدود

The long vowel	independent form	Initial form	Medial/ middle form	final form
Long vowel Alif مد الألف
Long vowel Waw مد الواو
Long vowel Yaa مد الياء

Answer

The long vowel	independent form	Initial form	Medial/ middle form	final form
Long vowel Alif مد الألف	ا	ا	ـــا / ا	ـــا / ا
Long vowel Waw مد الواو	و	و	ــو / و	ــو / و
Long vowel Yaa مد الياء	ي	ي	ـــيــ	ــي

Match the shape of the mouth when pronouncing the long vowel with the tongue position.

Query \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Listen to the audio, and then choose true or false.

Query \(\PageIndex{2}\)