The notation of the short vowels
was a complicated problem. Abu Al-Aswad Al-Du'ali is credited with introduction
of the system of colored dots in the writing system, and the terminology,
"FatHa -َ , Dhamma -ُ , Kasra -ِ.".
But, a substantial improvement in the system of short vowels notation is
usually attributed to the first lexicographer of the Arabic language, Al-Khalil
Ibn Ahmed. He replaced the colored dots with specific shapes for the short
vowels and the Shadda. With Al-Khalil's reform, the system of Arabic
orthography was almost the same ever since.
When used at the end of a definite
noun or adjective they indicate case.
(a)
-ُ indicates
Nominative case as in الکتابُ
(b) -َ indicates Accusative case as in الکتابَ
(c)
-ِ indicates Genitive case as in الکتابِ
As
you might have noticed, Siibawaih did not include the short vowels. Neither did
he talk about the diphthongs which are created every time you have a short
vowel proceeding the long vowels
وand ي
as in يَوم ،
بَيت
- Nunation. When a noun or an adjective is indefinite it carries Nunation, which is any of the short vowels plus /n/ sound.
(a) -ٌٌ indicates Nominative case as in استاذةٌ
(b) -ً indicates Accusative case as in استاذةً
(c) -ٍ indicates Genitive case as in استاذةٍ
Please notice that the accusative
Nunation -ً is
always written on
( ا
) as in بيتاً.
An exception to that is when the final consonant is either the feminine marker,
Taa' MarbuTa طالبة ً,
or Hamza, سماءً
7. The Shadda is used when you have two
identical consonants in a sequence, providing that the first has a Sukuun (zero vowel).
دَرْرَسَ is written as دَرَّسَ
A Hundred and One Rules !
Mohammed Jiyad
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