Elementary Arabic Morphology 3
The wasl and qat‛ hamza
What is a wasl hamza and what is a qat‛ hamza?
When is the w hamza written according to rules?
When is the q hamza written according to rules?
A wasl hamza is that which is pronounced at the beginning of speech but is not pronounced in the middle of speech, for example: اِجلِس یا رَجُلُ and یا رَجُلُ اجلِس. The qat‛ hamza is that which is pronounced wherever it occurs, for example: أکرِم یا رَجُلُ and یا رَجُلُ أکرِم.
The wasl hamza is written according to the rules in the preterite tense of five and six-letter verbs as well as their imperative and infinitive forms. This is also the case in the imperative case of the triliteral verb. The hamza in all of these verbs is added to the beginning.
The qat‛ hamza is written according to the rules in the preterite tense of quadriliteral verbs, as well as their imperative and infinitive forms. This is also the case in all aorist tense verbs. This hamza is sometimes added and sometimes not, is sometimes at the beginning of the verb, sometimes in the middle of it, and sometimes at the end of it.