Part I. The script
Lesson 1. Direction and joining
Learning with an Arabic script book alongside
A book like Judith Meyer's Arabic Script Hacking teaches the letters with their Arabic sounds. Most carry over. These don't:
| In Arabic | In this course |
|---|---|
| ـَا is a long ā | ـَا is e. The biggest trap |
| ـِي, ـُو are long ī, ū | optional in full writing; i and o/u in shorthand |
| ج is j (or g) | ج alone isn't used; جّ is ch (history: ج is Old Spanish j) |
| shadda doubles a consonant | shadda makes a new letter: بّ is p |
| ح is a throaty h | only your gheada proposal |
| ه is h | shorthand final a |
| ة (tāʾ marbūṭa), tanwīn, ى | not used (ى only in the history lesson) |
| hamza has complex spelling rules | here it only marks the vowel seats أ and إ |
| ع, ص, ض, ط, ظ, ق | not used in the journal |
Everything else (shapes, joining, dots, the marks themselves) is the same.
Right to left
Arabic runs right to left. A word's first letter is on the right. A page starts at the top right.
Letters join
Arabic is always joined, in print too. Most letters connect to the letter after them, so each letter has up to four shapes:
- isolated: alone
- initial: first in a joined group
- medial: inside a joined group
- final: last in a joined group
The stroke ـ (tatweel) in the tables only shows where a letter connects. It is not a letter.
Most shapes keep the same core and just gain or lose a tail. Initial and medial shapes are usually short; final and isolated shapes keep their tail. Three letters change a lot: ه (هـ ـهـ ـه), ع/غ (غـ ـغـ ـغ) and ك (كـ ـكـ ـك).
The letters of this course
| Letter | Name | Isolated | Initial | Medial | Final | Journal value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | alif | ا | ا | ـا | ـا | e (after fatḥa); vowel seat |
| ب | bāʾ | ب | بـ | ـبـ | ـب | b, v; with shadda: p |
| ت | tāʾ | ت | تـ | ـتـ | ـت | t |
| ث | thāʾ | ث | ثـ | ـثـ | ـث | c, z /θ/ |
| ج | jīm | ج | جـ | ـجـ | ـج | with shadda: ch |
| ح | ḥāʾ | ح | حـ | ـحـ | ـح | gheada (proposal) |
| خ | khāʾ | خ | خـ | ـخـ | ـخ | j, ge, gi /x/ |
| د | dāl | د | د | ـد | ـد | d |
| ر | rāʾ | ر | ر | ـر | ـر | r; with shadda: r- and rr |
| س | sīn | س | سـ | ـسـ | ـس | s |
| ش | shīn | ش | شـ | ـشـ | ـش | Galician x /ʃ/ |
| غ | ghayn | غ | غـ | ـغـ | ـغ | g /ɡ/ |
| ف | fāʾ | ف | فـ | ـفـ | ـف | f |
| ك | kāf | ك | كـ | ـكـ | ـك | k, c, qu |
| ل | lām | ل | لـ | ـلـ | ـل | l; with shadda: ll |
| م | mīm | م | مـ | ـمـ | ـم | m |
| ن | nūn | ن | نـ | ـنـ | ـن | n; with shadda: ñ |
| و | wāw | و | و | ـو | ـو | w; shorthand o/u |
| ي | yāʾ | ي | يـ | ـيـ | ـي | y; shorthand i |
Shorthand adds ه for final a (Lesson 15). Part III adds the letters only the historical system needs: ز, ص, ط, ق, and ج on its own.
Exercises 1
- Which end of the line does an Arabic sentence start at?
- Is the tatweel ـ a letter?
- Which shape of ب is بـ?
- Which shape of ن is ـن?
- Name the letter in all four of these: ل, لـ, ـلـ, ـل.
- Which three letters in this course change shape the most?
Answers
- The right.
- No. It only shows where a letter joins.
- Initial.
- Final.
- lām (ل).
- ه, غ (and ع), ك.