What Are The Points of Articulation(Makharij al-Huruf) ?

The Makharij groups categorize the points of articulation for Arabic letters into five main categories: tongue, lips, nasal cavity, oral cavity, and throat:

1. The Tongue (Al-Lisan):

The tongue is the primary articulator for most Arabic letters. It has ten specific points of articulation:

The tip of the tongue near the upper teeth, produces the letter “ن” (noon).
The tip of the tongue with some back pressure, near the upper teeth, produces the letter “ر” (raa).
The tip of the tongue with contact from the roots of the upper incisors, produces the letters “ت” (taa), “د” (daal), and “ط” (taa).
The tip of the tongue with slight elevation above the lower incisors, creating a small gap between the tongue and the teeth, producing the letters “س” (seen), “ز” (zaa), and “ص” (saad).
The tip of the tongue with contact from the edges of the upper incisors, produces the letters “ث” (thaa), “ذ” (dhaal), and “ظ” (dhaa).

2. The Lips (Ash-Shafaataan):

The lips have two specific points of articulation:

The inner surface of the lower lip with the edges of the upper incisors, produces the letter “ف” (faa).
The space between the lips with closure, produces the letters “ب” (baa), “م” (meem), and non-medial “و” (waaw).

3. The Nasal Cavity (Al-Khayshoom):

The nasal cavity between the top of the nose and the throat serves as the point of articulation for the letters “م” (meem) and “ن” (noon). The emission of “Ghunna” is inherent to these letters and varies in intensity based on the context of the letter.

4. The Oral Cavity (Al-Jawf):

Al Jawf, literally meaning “the oral cavity” in Arabic, refers to the entire space from the chest cavity up through the throat and mouth. This chamber acts as the origin for long vowels, also known as the “mad letters” (alif, waw, ya). Unlike most consonants and short vowels that have a defined endpoint in the mouth or throat, long vowels are produced by elongating the sound for two counts before stopping. There are three main madd letters:

(Ya) “ى”: This long “ee” sound is created with open vocal cords and the middle of the tongue raised close to the position it would be in for a regular “ya” pronunciation.
(Waw) “و”: To produce the long “oo” sound, the vocal cords are open again, but this time the lips are rounded in a shape that mimics saying a regular “wow” sound.

5. The Throat (Al-Halaq):

The space between the throat and the tongue, starting from the chest and ending at the mouth, has three points of articulation:

The farthest point in the throat, where the letters “ء” (hamzah) and “هاء” (haa) are produced.
The middle of the throat, closer to the tongue, is where the letters “ع” (ayn) and “ح” (haa) are produced.
The lowest part of the throat, close to the tongue and near the uvula, where the letters “غ” (ghayn) and “خ” (khaa) are produced.