"How does voicing assimilation work in Algerian (or Classical) Arabic?"
Richard WORDINGHAM, ENGLAND
I only deal with Classical Arabic. This is a difficult question to answer.
All I can tell you for the moment is that
1) The /l/ or the (definite) article is replaced by the initial consonant of
the word it determines if the latter is a solar letter (dental) so that you
obtain a geminate, e.g. */?al Sams/ > [?aS Sams] "the sun".
2) The infixed /t/ of the 8th form changes according to the preceding
consonant if the latter is a solar letter except /s/ and /S/, in some cases
you obtain a geminate, e.g.
dt > dd > : /?idtaraka/ > [?iddaraka] "to obtain what one wanted" < drk "to
reach"
d.t > d.t. : /?id.t.araba/ > [?id.t.araba] "to fight among themselves" <
d.rb "to beat"
d. = emphatic t
t. = emphatic t
3) In some words, two successive final voiced consonants can get devoiced,
e.g.
[xubz] "bread" pronounced [xops] by some speakers. The [p] here stands for
the devoiced [b], and the [s] for the devoiced [z].)
Vs [?axba:z] "breads"
Incidentally in Arabic loanwords in Turkish, the final Arab. /b/ and /d/
become Turk. /p/ and /t/, e.g.
ktb "to write" > Arab. [ka:tib] > Turk. [katip] "male clerk / secretary"
sgd "to bow and worship" > Arab. [masgid] > Turk. [mesgit] "mosque"
The same may be true for Egypt. [g] (? > Turk. [k]). Unfortunately I have no
example.