Al-
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Al- is a prefix in the Arabic language which functions as a definite article, equivalent to the English word the. Like the, al- is not a permanent component of words it is attached to; it is only prefixed to a word to make the word definite. Unlike English usage, Arabic grammar requires al- to be used with adjectives modifying the definite noun. For example, kitab is Arabic for "book", and so al-kitab means "the book". If one wanted to add the word kabir or "big", so that the phrase translates "the big book", al- needs to be attached to kabir: "al-kitab al-kabir". Hebrew, another language in the Semitic family, has similar rules for the use of its definite article.
In a similar way, al- can be attached to nouns or adjectives within the name of a person. A major component of Arabic names is the nisba, or place-of-origin identifier. Masr, for instance, is the Arabic word for Egypt. Adding the suffix -i produces the nisba Masri -- Egyptian. When al- is added, the nisba becomes definite. Definite nisbas are often found at the end of Arabic names, following kunyas and other elements. Even though al- is a removable prefix, when it is used as part of a nisba to refer to a specific person it is retained even if other elements of the name are omitted. For instance, on second reference Abu Musab al-Zarqawi would be referred to as al-Zarqawi, meaning "the man from Zarqa".
Arabic phonology also heavily influences the way al- is pronounced by native speakers. When the article is prefixed to words that start with certain consonants, known as ḥuruf šamsiyyat, or "solar letters", in Arabic, the article in pronunciation is expressed only by geminating the consonant. There are 14 sun letters; the remaining consonants, which do not assimiliate, are known as ḥuruf qamariyyat, "moon letters". For example, in the transliteration of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, the sun letter dal is geminated, while the moon letter qaf is not. In either case, Al- is written the same.
References
- Alosh, Mahdi. Ahlan wa Sahlan: Functional Modern Standard Arabic for Beginners. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
See also
External links
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