The First Person (Yā’) in the Narrations of Qālūn and Shuʿbah: A Computational Phonological Study

الملخص

Our research investigates a phonetic phenomenon governed by syntactic rules in the Qur’anic narrations of Qālūn and Shuʿbah, the first person (yāʾ). This feature has long drawn the attention of both classical Arabic linguists and contemporary scholars. In this study, we examine the nature of this phenomenon through a synthesis of early linguistic insights and recent phonetic research. We compiled the points of divergence between the two narrators concerning this specific phonetic feature and subjected them to computational phonetic analysis to obtain precise, laboratory-based results. This was accomplished through acoustic research techniques, including the construction and processing of databases containing spectrographic representations of the recited Qur’anic segments. The study employed the descriptive method, following its established procedures and criteria, in tandem with the experimental method to examine the spectral and waveform characteristics of the phenomenon as it manifests in the Qur’anic text. The objective was to deliver a detailed account of the phonetic distinctions between the two narrations, systematically categorizing the variations and clarifying each narrator’s approach within each category. The study is structured into three main sections. The first section is dedicated to defining the first person (yāʾ), outlining the differing perspectives between classical and modern scholars regarding its phonetic nature. Classical linguists regarded it as a consonant that could be either quiescent or vowelized, whereas modern scholars interpret it as a long vowel not subject to vowelization or quiescence in the traditional sense. The second section examines the positions of Shuʿbah and Qālūn concerning the pronunciation of the first person (yāʾ), highlighting the phonetic similarities and distinctions between their respective recitational traditions. The third section presents the results of computational phonetic analysis conducted on a selected set of examples. The study concludes that both narrators generally agreed on the vowelization of the first person (yāʾ), with a few notable exceptions in which Qālūn rendered it with a fatha, while Shuʿbah rendered it with sukun (quiescence).