ال
ArabicEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- اَمْ (am) – dialectal
EtymologyEdit
Uncertain; Rubin posits that this is a reduced form of the lost singular of Arabic أُولَى (ʔulā, “these”); compare Akkadian 𒌌𒇻𒌑𒌝 (ullûm, “that”). In this hypothesis, original initial /u/ would be lost due to low stress; the initial /a/ found in phrase-initial position would thus be prosthetic.[1]
PronunciationEdit
ArticleEdit
اَلْ • (al-)
Usage notesEdit
- The /l/ of this prefix assimilates to and geminates the first letter of the base word when it begins with a traditionally-coronal consonant, natively called sun letters: ت (t), ث (ṯ), د (d), ذ (ḏ), ر (r), ز (z), س (s), ش (š), ص (ṣ), ض (ḍ), ط (ṭ), ظ (ẓ), ل (l), and ن (n). This does not traditionally include ج (j), as its original pronunciation was palatal rather than coronal, but in regions where it is pronounced /d͡ʒ ~ ʒ/ it can be found assimilating the definite article as well. The ل (l)’s assimilation is not observed by the article's spelling, which is invariably ال (al-); however, in fully vocalised texts, a shadda is written over the following sun letter to reflect gemination.
- The initial vowel a- is only pronounced when the article occurs either after a pause, at the beginning of an utterance, or after the preposition مِنْ (min). Otherwise, the article consists solely of the coronal consonant preceded by the final vowel of the previous word; if this previous word is consonant-final, then i is used as a linking vowel.
DescendantsEdit
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Aaron Rubin (2005), “Definite Articles”, in Studies in Semitic Grammaticalization, Brill, , →ISBN, pages 77-78
BulgarEdit
| < 40 | 50 | 100 > |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal : ال | ||
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Turkic *ellig.
NumeralEdit
الُّ (ellü)
DescendantsEdit
- Chuvash: аллӑ (allă)
ReferencesEdit
- Tekin, Talât (1988) Volga Bulgar kitabeleri ve Volga Bulgarcası [Volga Bulgarian Ephitaphs and Volga Bulgarian Language][1] (in Turkish), Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, →ISBN, pages 90-91, 144-145, 198
Egyptian ArabicEdit
ArticleEdit
الـ • (el-)
Gulf ArabicEdit
PronunciationEdit
- IPA(key): /(ʔ)ɪl/, [l], (before sun letters) /ɪ/
Etymology 1Edit
ArticleEdit
اِلـ • (il-)
- the definite article; the
Etymology 2Edit
Contraction of الي (illi, “the relative clause”), itself a contraction of Arabic اَلَّذِي m (allaḏī) and اَلَّتِي f (allatī)
PronounEdit
اِلـ • (il-)
- (colloquial) the relative clause; that, who, which, etc
- Synonym: الي (illi)
Etymology 3Edit
Could be directly from Arabic إِلَىٰ (ʔilā).
PrepositionEdit
اِلـ • (il-)
- (colloquial) to (destination)
Alternative formsEdit
- لـ (l-)
Hijazi ArabicEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
- IPA(key): /al/, (before sun letters) /a/
ArticleEdit
الـ • (al-)
- the definite article; the
KalamiEdit
AdjectiveEdit
ال (al) m
KarakhanidEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Turkic *o-l (“that”). Cognate with Turkish o (“he, she, it; that”) and Chinese 兀 (wù, “that”).
PronounEdit
ال (ol)
DeterminerEdit
ال (ol)
PostpositionEdit
ال (ol)
KhalajEdit
NounEdit
اَل (əl) (definite accusative اَلی, plural اَللَر)
DeclensionEdit
North Levantine ArabicEdit
Etymology 1Edit
ArticleEdit
الـ • (l-)
Usage notesEdit
- The article in fact consists solely of the consonant /l/, which is assimilated to the same onsets as in Standard Arabic (see above). Following the usage note there, some speakers extend this process of assimilation to the now-coronal ج (j /ʒ/).
- An epenthetic linking vowel is added as phonotactically necessary, be it before the article or after, in order to avoid a three-consonant cluster. Note that its notation with a schwa is not meant to represent IPA [ə], as its actual value varies between /i~e~o/ depending on context:
- النص المكتوب ― n-naṣṣ əl-maktūb ― the written text
- الكتاب المقدس ― lə-ktāb lə-mʾaddas ― the Holy Book, i.e. the Bible
- Assimilation is optionally ignored when the article precedes a consonant cluster where the initial consonant would normally trigger assimilation, as the epenthetic vowel separates them if it appears:
- الولاد الصغار ― lə-wlād lə-ṣḡār ― the small children
Etymology 2Edit
Reduction of the definite relative pronoun اللي (lli) or its alternative form لي (li).
PronounEdit
ال • (l-)
- contraction of اللي
Usage notesEdit
- Although this contraction is superficially identical to the definite article, some speakers do not assimilate it to a following coronal, allowing the two to be told apart in this context. Other speakers do, such as Said Akl in the reading linked from the quote above.
Ottoman TurkishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Turkic *el, *elig.
NounEdit
ال • (el)
Derived termsEdit
- ال دگرمنی (el değirmeni, “handmill”)
- ال عربهسی (el arabası, “handcart”)
DescendantsEdit
- Turkish: el
PersianEdit
EtymologyEdit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
NounEdit
ال • (al)
Derived termsEdit
- ال زدن (al zadan)
South Levantine ArabicEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
ArticleEdit
الـ • (l-)
- the (definite article)
Usage notesEdit
- Phonemically, the article consists solely of the consonant /l/, which is assimilated to the same onsets as in Standard Arabic (see above), with some speakers extending the assimilation to the now-coronal ج (j /ʒ/). While the epenthetic vowel [ɪ] may be added before or after in order to avoid problematic consonant clusters, different speakers may be more or less tolerant of these clusters; those who tolerate an initial two-consonant cluster may not insert the vowel before /l/, meaning the article may be virtually inaudible in cases that the /l/ is assimilated.
- Assimilation is optionally ignored when the article precedes a consonant cluster where the initial consonant would normally trigger assimilation, as the epenthetic vowel separates them if it appears: