PHONOLOGICAL ASPECTS IN ENGLISH AND ARABIC

Abstract

The present study deals with four phonological aspects which are part of communication through language. These aspects are found in English and Arabic, which are : assimilation, intonation, stress and elision . The aim of this study is to explain each aspect in both languages and make a comparison . This study presents definitions, explanation and examples to clarify the phenomenon. The two languages share some points, but there is no absolute similarity. These aspects are common in the recitation of the Glorious Quran. There are similarities and differences between the two languages.In English, there are three types of assimilation: regressive, progressive and coalescent. In the recitation of the Glorious Quran, there is assimilation with ghunnah( nasal twang) and without ghunnah ( nasal twang). In the recitation of the Glorious Quran , the assimilation is like the regressive English assimilation, the final consonant changes and be like the initial neighbouring sound. In the two languages, the definition of intonation means the rise and fall of a tone. It expresses a meaning and changes according to the type of a sentence. Stress means the amount of power through pronunciation the sound. English language includes special rules for stress. In Arabic , stress means the amount of power on the syllable of each utterance. The type of stress is affected by the number and kind of syllables in the word . Elision means the omission of a sound. The two languages may omit a consonant or vowel in a word to make the pronunciation easier .