A Phonological Study of Segmental Phonemes in Kubeisa Iraqi Arabic with Reference to Standard English

Abstract

This study examines one of the Iraqi dialects " spoken in the town of Kubeisa in the west of Iraq. It conducts a phonological analysis for phonemes in isolation and Sounds in context which include the phonological processes of assimilation, intrusion, elision, and deflexion with reference to Standard English (SE). Although it had a variety of phonological traits compared to other dialects spoken in western Iraq in particular and Iraq in general,it is not given special attention previous by researchers . This may be due to the fact that Kubeisa is a small town located far from urban regions which remains a "virgin territory" that the dialect spoken by its people requires analysis and investigation with reference to SE. In addition to the investigation of segmental phonemes and sounds in context in Kubeisa Iraqi Arabic (KIA) with reference to SE, this study also aimed at pointing out whether this dialect belongs to "qiltu - dialects" or "gilt - dialects" spoken in Iraq.