CONSONANT CLUSTR IN SPOKEN IRAQI ARABIC

This paper tackles consonant cluster in Spoken Iraqi Arabic. Consonant cluster refers to a sequence of two or three consonant sounds in a single word. Spoken Iraqi Arabic shows such sequence, particularly that of two consonant sounds. Consonant clusters in Iraqi Arabic are either initial or medial. Most consonant sounds in Iraqi Arabic are likely to occur as initial clusters, except for a few sounds. First ,an introduction is given regarding the subject, followed by a background and a snap overview. Then, consonant cluster is elaborated on at the word-level in which consonant cluster is surveyed according to phonemes or initial sequences. Next, consonant cluster is discussed at other levels; grammatical, such as number and prefixes, and non-grammatical, such as borrowing, ellipsis, diminutive and so on. Finally, the paper reaches certain findings and conclusions.