Investigation and Non-Standard (Dialectal) Mitigation in Linguistic Dictionaries

Abstract

Dialectal phenomena constitute a rich material and a distinctive section in language books, especially linguistic dictionaries that meticulously examine these phenomena through scrutiny and analysis. This has provided researchers with numerous fields for study and investigation. Among the most prominent phenomena observed among Arab tribes is related to the hamzah (glottal stop), including its facilitation and confirmation, among others. In this context, the research will focus on a non-standard dialectal phenomenon, namely the confirmation and non-confirmation of the hamzah in the dialect of certain Arabs. Before presenting examples, it is essential to clarify some concepts that underpin the research, summarized as follows:

• The phenomenon of dialectal confirmation and its absence (non-standard) is considered more beneficial than the standard; it leads to a change in meaning and consequently enriches the Arabic dictionary with diverse linguistic material, contributing to its enrichment and expansion.
• The change in meaning due to the different readings of the term (بادي) and (بادئ) confirms that this instance falls under non-standard dialectal change.
• Among the scholars most concerned with the phenomenon of non-standard dialectal change of the hamzah is Al-Farraa, possibly due to his linguistic affiliation, as Kufa relies on the spoken language of the Arabs and gives it significant attention.

The non-standard dialectal change of the hamzah shares with the standard the issue of phonetic variation of the word in terms of vowel lengthening or shortening; there is a difference in the phonetic writing of the hamzah word compared to the non-hamzah word