Some Assimilatory Processes in Kuwaiti Arabic
Ahlam Saleh Al-Enezi, Dr. Jafar Nayef Ababneh

Abstract
The objective of this study is to describe and analyze the major assimilatory processes and test their occurrence in Kuwaiti Arabic (KA). The present study is primarily concerned with the major assimilatory processes of KA that previous studies have not investigated adequately. The results revealed that all the investigated assimilatory processes occur in KA, except for assibilation and umlaut. It also showed that all the applied assimilatory processes in KA are obligatory processes, except for obstruent devoicing. In addition, the study determined all the possible phonological environments for these assimilatory processes in KA. The findings also showed that there is only one case restricted to Kuwaiti Bedouin Arabic (KBA) when applying vowel (fronting) harmony; however, many other cases of vowel harmony are applied by all the varieties of KA. The present study provided evidence that explains the occurrence of the tested assimilatory processes and supports the accuracy of the phonological environments that allow or block their application in KA.

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