South Mesopotamian Arabic () or Marsh Arabic or commonly known as Basrawai is a variety of Mesopotamian Arabic spoken by Southern Iraqis in Basra, Maysan, Dhi Qar, Wasit and Muthanna. This dialect differs distinctly from other dialects of Iraq and features a strong Aramaic and Sumerian influence. One of the most noticeable features of South Mesopotamian Arabic is the existence of the sounds (< *), (< *), (< *) and .
Phonology The following describes the sounds of the Baṣra dialect:
Consonants LabialDentalAlveolarPalatalVelarUvularPharyngealGlottalplainemph.plainemph.plainemph.NasalStop/Affricatevoiceless()()()voicedFricativevoicelessvoiced()FlapApproximant
Sounds /, / are only heard from loanwords. [] is more commonly heard as the reflex of // in the Baṣra dialect, whereas // more commonly is heard in cultural words or names. // may also be heard as a fricative [] in rural areas.
Vowels FrontCentralBackClose Mid Open
// can be heard as [] in word-final positions. It may be pronounced as [] when in positions of pharyngeal consonants // can be heard as [] in word-final positions. It may be pronounced as [] when after pharyngealized consonants. /, / is typically heard as [, ] when in palatal consonant environments. It is heard as [, ] when in pharyngealized environments.
See also
Varieties of Arabic Mesopotamian Arabic
References