International Journal of Language & Linguistics

“/j/” or “/ʤ/”: A Comparative Study of Hadhrami – Southern Saudi Arabian dialectical variations of “/ʤ/” and its Implications on the Phonological Structure of the Verb Form
Najat Ahmed Busabaa, Abeer Hussien Alabdaly, MA

Abstract
This study investigates the dialect variation of verb forms in Hadhrami and Southern Saudi Arabian. The study indicates that Hadhrami /ʤ/ productions showed many dialect-specific features comparable to those in southern Saudi speakers; both in terms of phonological and morphological features. This work helps in better understanding and interpretation of the dialectal variations of “/ʤ/” and its implications on the phonological structure of the verb form. The study reveals that the inner phonological structure of the verb form changes in two respects in Hadhrami dialect. However, in the Saudi dialect, there is no substitution for the sound /dʒ/. Furthermore, the Saudi dialect keeps the same phonological structure of standard Arabic imperative verb form. /dʒ/ in the southern Saudi dialect does not undergo any phonological or morphological changes when compared to standard Arabic verb forms (i.e. past, imperative, and present).

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