Appendix:Varieties of Arabic Swadesh lists

In this case, the language of Arabic refers to Standard Arabic (MSA).

Presentation
This list of words was devised by the linguist. He used it as a means of determining the closeness of any pair of languages. It is a useful list of the most common words that are essential to most languages (and may be used in learning basic communication in other languages—even multiple languages at once—since, for basic communication, vocabulary is generally more useful than a knowledge of the target language’s syntax [it is even possible to learn basic communication with no knowledge of the target language’s syntax]). For a basis to expand this list into other languages see Swadesh template

For other Swadesh lists, see Appendix:Swadesh list.

Notes on choice of cognates:

Due to the unique situation of diglossia in the Arabic-speaking world, there is no written standard for any of the modern spoken varieties of Arabic (except Maltese). Due to this lack of regulation, the languages are prone to change relatively quickly in most cases. In addition to this, the line between formal vs. informal speech is blurred and more of a continuum, loanwords from the higher variety, i.e. MSA, are in and out of use depending on context, and many terms and expressions are viewed as part of the native speaker's lexicon even if they would never naturally use those terms in their everyday life.

All of this creates a difficult situation for creating accurate lists to reflect cognates in dialect families and so this approach was decided upon:


 * If a term for the cognate exists in this variety and is a commonly used "type" of the cognate in question, it is included: e.g. Dhofari "gūhara" is included because an "incisor" is a type of tooth; Iraqi "manxar" is not included because a "nostril" is not a type of nose.
 * If a synonym for a cognate is proved to be a classicism and/or borrowing from MSA and is not as common as a native/classically-derived term, it is not included: e.g. Egyptian "famm" meaning "mouth", Iraqi "θɑ̄ni" meaning "other", & Sanaani "laʔenn" meaning "because". These synonyms exist in each respective variety but they are usually associated with formal speech or set expressions and so are readily viewed as "fɑṣīħ" i.e. pure or "high" language.
 * If a term for a cognate in a special condition/situation could be described in one word if a native speaker is made to do so, then it is included: e.g. Dhofari "sargīga" meaning "large fire" vs Egyptian "ħarīˀa-gbīra" literally meaning "large" "fire".
 * The decision to include a term for a cognate is determined (1) by how common it is in the variety in question, (2) how characteristic it is for that variety, (3) and if there are any specific usages/terms particular to that variety that should be mentioned. There may be terms that exist in a variety that were not included due to this process. It is noteworthy to explain that due to the nature of Arabic, if all possible terms for cognates were included, barring foreign loanwords and pronunciation, all lists will be almost exactly the same.
 * This list compares Modern Standard Arabic with various Arabic varieties and not Classical or Quranic Arabic. This is important to note as this list is not meant to display a historical evolution from classical to dialect, but rather show a degree of diversity between Arabic varieties with their diglossic high variety beside them. Therefore, some terms which exist in Classical/Quranic Arabic that may very well exist in various varieties, were not included as these words would be considered just short of obsolete (or at the very least awkward, bookish and/or dated). Other terms have gained a specific meaning in MSA that was not necessarily there in Classical Arabic. For example, most Arabic dictionaries list حوت as a synonym for 'whale'; in Classical Arabic, it was mostly translated simply as 'fish' (albeit a large one). This is understandable as there was likely no taxonomic designation separating large fish from whales at the time, and so its definition referring strictly to a whale in almost all instances, is characteristic of the modern world, and therefore, characteristic of Modern Standard Arabic.

Transcription
Notes on Romanization:
 * a, ɑ, e, i, o and u correspond respectively to or  or, ,  or , ,  and.
 * â, é, ă correspond respectively to, , and . Vowels with a breve are brought to a low-mid articulation.
 * ā, ɑ̄, ē, ī, ō and ū correspond to the aformentioned vowel sounds but with a long vowel length., , or , , ,
 * b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, y and z correspond to their phonological equivalents in English for the most part.
 * θ is used to transcribe a voiceless dental fricative. In at least one variety (i.e. Hassaniya Arabic), it can be partially voiced, resembling but still being distinct from [ð]. or
 * ð is used to transcribe a voiced dental fricative.
 * j is used to transcribe a voiced postalveolar affricate.
 * g is used to transcribe a voiced velar stop. In some varieties, it is a voiced uvular stop (e.g. Sudanese). or
 * ğ corresponds to the Classical Arabic rendition of ج which is still preserved in a few varieties. It is somewhere between j and y. or
 * x is used to transcribe a voiceless uvular fricative. In some varieties, it is velar (e.g. Tunisian), others post-velar (e.g. Levantine), and others uvular (e.g. San'ani). or
 * ġ is used to transcribe a voiced uvular fricative. In some varieties, it is velar (e.g. Tunisian), others post-velar (e.g. Levantine), and others uvular (e.g. San'ani). or
 * š is used to transcribe a voiceless postalveolar fricative.
 * č is used to transcribe a voiceless postalveolar affricate.
 * ž is used to transcribe a voiced postalveolar fricative.
 * q is used to transcribe a voiceless uvular stop ق.
 * ħ is used to transcribe a voiceless pharyngeal fricative ح. In some varieties, it is an epiglottal trill (e.g. Baghdad). or
 * ʕ is used to transcribe the voiced pharyngeal fricative ع. In some varieties, it is an approximant (e.g. Cairo) while in others it is an epiglottal trill (e.g. Baghdad). or  or
 * ʔ is used to transcribe a glottal stop. In some words in specific varieties, a glottal stop can be elided.
 * . underneath a letter indicates it is emphatic. e.g., , , etc.
 * See for information on Maltese orthography used in this table.

In addition to the above-mentioned phonemes, most Arabic varieties have many allophonic phonemes. This list does not seek to distinguish between marginal phonemes if it does not change the meaning nor the Arabic spelling of a word. This transcription key was created to create an accurate picture of Arabic phonology as a whole in addition to still making it accessible to the average reader. Therefore, if you would like to make edits to this page, we ask that you use the transcription key/style above as to not confuse readers who may not know how to read pure IPA.


 * (do) - direct object
 * (m) - masculine
 * (f) - feminine
 * (abstract) -
 * (coarse) -
 * (pedantic) -