Rule
When followed by a sun letter, the l of the Arabic definite article al- assimilates to the initial consonant of the following noun, resulting in a doubled consonant. For example, for "the Nile", one does not say al-Nīl, but an-Nīl. When the definite article is followed by a moon letter, no assimilation takes place.
Sun letters represent all coronal consonants except ج ǧīm (see below). Since the article al- ends in a coronal consonant, it lends itself to assimilation with these sounds.
The sun and moon letters are as follows:
| Sun letters | ﺕ | ﺙ | ﺩ | ﺫ | ﺭ | ﺯ | ﺱ | ﺵ | ﺹ | ﺽ | ﻁ | ﻅ | ﻝ | ﻥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| t | ṯ | d | ḏ | r | z | s | š | ṣ | ḍ | ṭ | ẓ | l | n | |
| Moon letters | ء | ﺏ | ﺝ | ﺡ | ﺥ | ﻉ | ﻍ | ﻑ | ﻕ | ﻙ | ﻡ | ﻭ | ﻱ | ه |
| ʾ | b | ǧ | ḥ | ḫ | ʿ | ġ | f | q | k | m | w | y | h |
Read more about this topic: Sun And Moon Letters
Famous quotes containing the word rule:
“Resolved to ruin or to rule the state.”
—John Dryden (1631–1700)
“Therefore doth heaven divide
The state of man in divers functions,
Setting endeavor in continual motion,
To which is fixed, as an aim or butt,
Obedience; for so work the honeybees,
Creatures that by a rule in nature teach
The act of order to a peopled kingdom.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“A right rule for a club would be,—Admit no man whose presence excludes any one topic.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)