FSSBA-0003 : 2022.07.06 : A Little Introduction to Arabic Alphabet
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FSSBA-0003 : 2022.07.06
This article was extracted from the author’s handout notes in 2016.
A Little Introduction to Arabic Alphabet
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The purpose of this article is to share a basic overview on Arabic Alphabet, for non-Arabs, any beginners as well as those who are curious about Arabic. This is not a grammar guide, but to generate basic visual understanding on the appearances of Arabic characters. One must seek a grammar teacher to truly understand the mechanics of writing the Arabic language.
A Physical Overview of The Arabic Script
The Arabic script features a very malleable textured landscape in aspect of visual architecture of hand-typography. It encompasses rhythmic flowing patterns of columns, waves, curves and folds. It can be arranged horizontally, vertically, in steep or shallow cascades. It could be inter-layered, interwoven, interlaced, among or within letters. Whichever way creativity would take, that depends on a calligrapher’s visual skills in deploying the rules of lettering.
Throughout the years of evolution, Arabic script possesses high adaptability crossing different generations of trends and genres. Appearances and displays has been described to form a high variation of moods, from simplicity, to sensual, to gothic, evergreen, classic, heraldic, stoic, futuristic, and many different form of blends. It breeds different styles attributing to geographical identities as well as cultural usage. From classical, traditional styles, to modern contemporary types, it is used and admired in many different atmosphere and purposes.
The Rasm and Basic Arabic Letterforms
The term ‘rasm’ basically means ‘drawing’. It can also mean: to trace, outline, sketch, illustrate, design or describe. In alphabetic context, rasm refers to the line work or illustrative character that represents an Arabic letter. It also refers to the skeletal body or frame structure of an Arabic script. Simply, rasm can also be considered as a form of Arabic writing or script.
The Arabic alphabet we know today is basically made up of 28 letters, which uses 18 rasm elements as alphabetic body forms to be shared or used by different letters. The initial writing system dated as early as 4th century AD, used these 18 rasm elements to represent all the 28 letters in the Arabic script without any reading signs: diacritic signs and vowel markings like being used today. Only the Arabs during that time would be familiar with the early system; knowing which rasm body represents which letter, which vowel value is being used, what is the word or script saying, and in what grammar value it’s indicating.
In the current era, rasm elements are still being used to represent all forms of alphabetic characters. The forms of these elements are of high importance for calligraphers, especially in mastery of letterforms and scripts.
Image shown: The early Hijazi script of 7th century using rasm alphabetic elements, does not have any dots used to indicate or differentiate letters. Therefore, one particular Hijazi letter may be used to represent different Nasakh letters of different phonetic values.
By 8th century, the Arabic writing system has been enhanced to differentiate the 28 Arabic letters by adding dots to the rasm letterforms, along with development of reading signs. This enables every letter to be distinguished according to its phonetic value. One of the main reasons for such enhancement was to facilitate and encourage the non-Arabs to learn and use Arabic scripts.
Image shown: 28 Hijaiyah letters of Arabic alphabet with additional special letters. Each Arabic letter has a name, and it’s shown here with consonant or sound values equivalent to Roman transliteration/transcriptional values.
The Consonants
All Arabic scripts are written and read from right to left with no form of capitalization. The complete Arabic alphabet is made up of 28 letters which are basically all consonants. A consonant is a visual sound character or appearance, which represents or dictates a particular behaviour of how a sound exit in a pronunciation. It is usually unable to determine a sound value by itself, and may be combined with a vowel to form a syllable. Out of the 28 letters, there are 3 letters namely: Aleef, Wau and Ya, that behave as consonants, as well as vowels and other orthographic functions.
A syllable is generally formed by a consonant supported by a vowel to form a complete unit of sound character. This sound unit can be a word by itself or part of a word. Depending on the system of a particular language, certain consonants may possess a built-in vowel value. Otherwise, a syllable can also be formed by combining several consonants, or several vowels, or a mixture of both for a much specific sound character.
The Lam-Aleef
While the basis of Arabic letters is technically 28 letters, a tradition has allowed another letter to mark itself a distinctive presence since the arrival of Arabic script. This letter is known as Lam-Aleef, which is made up of 2 letters: Lam and Aleef.
The Islamic tradition of Arabic script contextually consider Lam-Aleef as a special single figurative letter on its own. Being the 29th letter, it does not affect the original values of its properties. In fact, it has always been part of the normal writing convention.
18 Main Alphabetic Bodies
The 18 rasm elements or 18 main alphabetic bodies are each named after the first or leading letters that uses its form.
Referring to the image shown above, it charts a total of 19 alphabetic bodies which includes the Lam-Aleef (bottom row first-left). With letters A, B, C and D indicated, these alphabetic bodies are categorised under these behaviours:
A: An alphabet body being used only by a specific letter.
B: An alphabet body being shared by different letters.
C: An alphabet body that has another variation of body to represent the same letter.
D: Two different letters that share the same variation of bodies.
Arabic Alphabet Order System
Huruf Hijaiyah
Huruf Hijaiyah means the Letters of Hijaiyah (pronounced: hee-ja-iy-yah), is another current term known to represent the Arabic alphabet. This term refers to a system of sequence order of the Arabic letters. This Hijaiyah order is an arrangement and grouping of letters together by similarity of shapes and features of letterforms. This alphabetical order is being used in present modern reference tools such as dictionaries, phonebooks, and other listing materials. This system can also be known in another name as Huruf Alifbaiyah (pronounced: aleef-ba-iy-yah).
Image shown: Letters of Hijaiyah order is an arrangement and grouping of letters together by similarity of shapes and features of letterforms.
Huruf Abjadiyah
An older version of this alphabetic order is called Huruf Abjadiyah, or known as Letters of Abjadiyah (pronounced: ab-ja-diy-yah). This Abjadiyah order is derived from the Phoenician alphabetic system, whereby letters are also being used as numbers, thus arrangement is sequenced by order of numerical values. This kind of letter-number system is also similarly used in Hebrew and Greek.
Image shown: Letters of Abjadiyah order is an arrangement of letters sequenced by order of numerical values represented.
Known as Abjad Numerals or Arabic Gematric Numbers, every each of the 28 Arabic letters indicates a numerical value. This system is also known as gematria, a way of computing numerical value of words through the assigned value of letters.
Lettering Postures
In Arabic writing system, letters will change into different forms and behaviours when combined with other letters to create a word or cluster. These are known as lettering postures which comes in 4 different forms, through different variations of combinations.
1. The Single-Isolated Form
The appearance and posture of these letters will remain as a stand-alone when a combination method is not available or applicable.
2. The Initial-Joint Form
The appearance and posture of a letter is joined as the first letter of a word or a combination. There are 6 letters that cannot be joined to the following letter that comes after.
3. The Medial-Joint Form
The appearance and posture of a letter is joined as the second letter, or as a middle letter between 2 letters in a word or a combination. There are 6 letters that cannot be joined to the following letter that comes after.
4. The Final-Joint Form
The appearance and posture of a letter will be the last letter of a word or a combination.
The following images are some examples in demonstrating the 4 different lettering postures:
Six Letters That Cannot Be Joined Onward
There are 6 letters that cannot be joined or connected to the letter that comes after. These letters can only behave as an isolated form or final-joint form. When used in a word, it cannot behave as initial-joint or medial-joint forms. If it continues to join, the original letter may be void or behave as a different letter. Therefore the alphabetic function and the meaning of the word will change.
Arabic Reading Signs
Tashkeel : The Arabic Reading Signs
The term ‘tashkeel’ which basically means ‘forming’ or ‘shaping’, is a form of Arabic phonetic guide whereby reading signs and markings are added to a letterform or shape. This addition helps to define properties of pronunciations, vocalizations and its values.
In the past, Arabic scripts were written purely in basic consonants without any reading signs. The physical phonetic and grammar properties behaved like an ‘invisible script’, whereby it is known and spoken, but not written. Such is a nature whereby the Arabs back then were known to possess efficient command of memories.
In the 8th century, to facilitate Arabic literacy for the non-Arabs, an enhanced reading and writing system was eventually realised. Arabic scripts possess sophisticated sound values, which demand a high proficiency of artistic reading, especially in recitation of the Quran. This is especially critical in upholding the true Arabic values and meanings in the Quran. But in the general media of today, there is no reading sign used except for specific emphasis. This means that the use of reading signs is mostly used in early Arabic education, and later omitted as learners have memorized and understood the system of the language.
The Arabic reading signs and characters are categorized into several functions, and sometimes play mixed functions. This markings are considered as an additional layer of vocalization characters on top of the main body of a script. In certain usage, it involves the use of certain letters to determine a particular grammar property.
Diacritical Signs
Diacritical signs are markings attached to the letters of alphabet to distinguish or stress on specific phonetic values. A phonetic value is a speech sound character which may determine the identity of a particular letter or writing symbol, or the vocalizing value that a letter is carrying.
Orthographic Signs
Orthographic signs are markings attached to the letters of alphabet to emphasize on the correct mode of spelling and grammar values. These signs will determine the intended meaning of a word.
Vowel Signs
Vowel signs can be in form of letters, or character markings attached to letters. It represents and determine values of sound in a pronunciation and can be prolonged without any interruption of breaths. This sign is usually attached to a consonant to form the value of a syllable.
Arabic Numbers
The Arabic numbers could be traced back its invention of numerical system by Indian mathematicians between 1st-4th century AD. It was later further developed in 9th century by Persian and Arabian mathematicians before being introduced to the European and Western counterparts. Different from Arabic script, Arabic numbers however, are written from left to right.
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We hope the content provided here gives you an insight on the basics of Arabic alphabet. All content were created and developed by the author for the interest of calligraphy. If you’re looking for deeper information and details to understand the mechanics of Arabic language, please engage a language teacher so you may discover beauty beyond speech and writing.
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Faizal Somadi/2022/Jul/06 (Revised Edition)