Arabic: An Essential Grammar

Note: Even masculine proper names ending in ة .. َـ ُة ُ

ِ

... /...atu/ are

diptotes, e.g.

(b) Feminine proper names containing three consonants and suku ̄n (^) ـْـــ
on the middle consonant are treated either as triptotes or diptotes,
e.g.
Note: Most commonly in modern Arabic, ِم ْص ُر mis
̇
ru is used as a diptote
and ِه ْن ٌد hindun as a triptote.
(c) Masculine proper names which contain more than three con-
sonants, e.g.
(d) All geographical names which do not have the definite article َأْ لـ..,
e.g.
Note: The name of Cairo has the definite article َأْ لـ../


al../. It is there-
fore a triptote and takes all three cases endings: .َأْل َقا ِه َر ِة (^) َأْل َقا ِه َر َة (^) َأْل َقا ِه َر ُة.
(e) Compound geographical names:
(f) Masculine and feminine proper names which simulate verbal
forms and do not have the ending ة .. َـ ُة ُ
ِ
.. /..atu/ in the feminine
singular, e.g.
َن ْخَل ُة Nah
̆
latu ُم َعا ِو َي ُة Mu

a ̄wiyatu
Triptote Diptote (more common)
ِم ْص ٌر َر ْغ ٌد ِه ْن ٌد OR ِم ْص ُر َر ْغ ُد ِه ْن ُد
Hindun Rag ̇dun Mis
̇
run OR Hindu Rag ̇du Mis
̇
ru
Egypt Egypt
ِإ ْب َرا ِهي ُم ِإ ْس َحا ُق ُيو ُس ُف َي ْع ُقو ُب


Ish
̇
a ̄qu, Isaac


Ibra ̄hı

• mu, Abraham Yu ̄sufu, Joseph Ya



qu ̄bu, Jacob

َبا ِري ُس ك ُةََّم ِد َم ْش ُق ُل ْب َنا ُن

Ba ̄rı

• su Makkatu Dimasˇqu Lubna ̄nu

Paris Mecca Damascus Lebanon

ك ُبو ْر َس ِعي ُدُّ َب ْعَل َب َلـ ْح َمَب ْي َت ِن ُيو ْر ُك

Bu ̄r Sa



ı

• du Ba



la-bakku Bayta Lah

̇

ma Niyu ̄rku

Port Said Baalbek Bethlehem New York

153

Triptotes

and

diptotes