Phonetic-Phonological Mapping of Hijaiyah Letters: Integrating Makhārij al-ḥurūf, Articulatory Features, and Phonemic Contrasts

Abstract

Arabic consonants exhibit distinctive articulatory properties that can be examined through traditional Arabic scholarship and modern linguistic frameworks. This study developed an integrated phonetic-phonological mapping of fourteen selected Arabic letters by connecting makhārij al-ḥurūf, ṣifāt al-ḥurūf, International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) representations, and phonemic contrasts. A qualitative library research approach was employed, combining descriptive analysis with comparative and integrative examination. Sources comprised classical Arabic linguistic and tajwīd works, modern phonetics and phonology references, and relevant scholarly journal articles. The analysis identified traditional articulation points and letter characteristics, compared them with modern phonetic categories, examined IPA representations, and illustrated meaning-distinguishing functions through Arabic minimal pairs. The findings indicate conceptual correspondences between traditional articulatory classifications and modern phonetic categories, alongside differences that preclude direct equivalence, particularly in descriptions of voicing and secondary articulation. The resulting mapping systematically links articulatory properties, phonetic representations, and phonemic contrasts. This framework contributes to the theoretical description of Arabic consonants and provides a conceptual reference for pronunciation analysis and Arabic language instruction. Its practical applicability requires further empirical investigation.