ABSTRACT
The theory of syllable structure has been strongly influenced by the study of Arabic, for two reasons. First, many dialects of Arabic provide examples of regular and productive processes that make reference to syllable structure. Second, different varieties of spoken Arabic instantiate different inventories of syllable types, and these different inventories are associated with a constellation of different properties across the varieties. The chapter surveys the types of evidence that have been used to argue for syllable structure in Arabic; the range of variation in syllable structures across different dialects; the competing analyses of syllable-sensitive phonological processes; and the implications of the Arabic data for theories of sound structure. It presents an overview of the internal structure of syllables, the concept of syllable weight, and the relationship between syllables and higher-level constituents. The chapter details the specific processes that depend on syllable structure: word stress, vowel shortening, vowel insertion, and vowel deletion.
