Arabic: An Essential Grammar

1.2 Transliteration

The transliteration of the Arabic alphabet given below is based on the

Latin alphabet, but some of the letters have an extra sign indicating

some special feature of the Arabic pronunciation of the letter in

question.

The

alif (ا), which is the first letter, has so far not been given any

transliteration, because its sound value varies (to be dealt with in

chapters 6 and 7).

1.3 Alphabet table and transliteration

transliteration standing

alone

final medial initial name

(1) (*) ا ..ـا ..ـا ا

Alif

(2) b بـ.. ..ـبـ.. ..ـب ب Ba ̄

(3) t تـ.. ..ـتـ.. ..ـت ت Ta ̄

(4) t

̄

ثـ.. ..ـثـ.. ..ـث ث T

̄

a ̄

(5) g ̆ جـ.. ..ـجـ.. ..ـج ج G ̆ı

• m

(6) h

̇

حـ.. ..ـحـ.. ..ـح ح H

̇

a ̄

(7) h

̆

خـ.. ..ـخـ.. ..ـخ خ H

̆

a ̄

(8) d (*) د ..ـد ..ـد د Da ̄l

(9) d

̄

(*) ذ ..ـذ ..ـذ ذ D

̄

a ̄l

(10) r (*) ر ..ـر ..ـر ر Ra ̄

(11) z (*) ز ..ـز ..ـز ز Zayn

(12) s سـ.. ..ـسـ.. ..ـس س Sı

• n

(13) sˇ شـ.. ..ـشـ.. ..ـش ش Sˇı

• n

(14) s

̇

صـ.. ..ـصـ.. ..ـص ص S

̇

a ̄d

(15) d

̇

ضـ.. ..ـضـ.. ..ـض ض D

̇

a ̄d

(16) t

̇

طـ.. ..ـطـ.. ..ـط ط T

̇

a ̄

(17) d

̄ ̇

ظـ.. ..ـظـ.. ..ـظ ظ D

̄ ̇

a ̄

2

Arabic

script,

transliter-

ation, the

alphabet