Phonetic Pausing in Arabic Dialects and Qur’anic Readings

Abstract

This study examines phonetic pausing (waqf) in the context of Arabic dialects and Qur’anic readings, by investigating the various forms of pausing attested in Classical Arabic and comparing them with those established in Qur’anic readings. It also analyzes the phonetic phenomena associated with these forms and interprets them in light of linguistic and phonetic evidence. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, beginning with an examination of the concept of pausing as addressed by Arab grammarians and Qur’anic recitation scholars. It then discusses its principal forms, including pausing with sukun, gemination, phonological transfer (naql), substitution (ibdāl), the addition of hāʾ al-sakt, ishām, and rawm, while identifying their attribution to particular Arab tribes and tracing their occurrences in Qur’anic readings.

The study concludes that the forms of pausing identified by Arab grammarians are, in general, the same forms recognized by scholars of Qur’anic recitation and readings, thereby confirming the close relationship between Arabic dialects and Qur’anic readings. The findings further demonstrate that pausing with sukun is the basic and most widespread form of pausing. The study also reveals the existence of certain dialectal forms for which no occurrence has been established in the Qur’anic readings, while other dialectal features are reflected in Qur’anic performance and the orthography of the Qur’anic text (mushaf).