Vowels

Characteristics of the Arabic vowels
The Arabic alphabet compromises 28 letters, three of these letters (ا, ي, و) function as both consonants and long vowels each of which corresponds with three accent marks that function as short vowels (-َ, ِ-, ُ-). Each one of the short and long vowels represents one of the main basic vowels in English (a, e, o). Short and long vowels represent the same vowel sound but differ only in the duration or the length of the vowel. Hence, the length of a long vowel is double the duration of that of a short vowel.

The Representation of Short vs. Long Vowels
Short vowels in Arabic are represented or indicated by three accent markers or “harakat/ حركات” which are placed above or under the letter or consonant rather than a letter vowel following it as in English (-َ, ِ-, ُ-).

Long vowels in Arabic are represented or indicated by three letters (the first and the last two letters) of the alphabet (ا, ي, و).

The Length or Duration of Short vs. Long Vowels
The length or duration of a short vowel corresponds to the length of most English vowels; therefore, the length or duration of the long vowel should be double the duration of that of a short vowel. For example, to transcribe the English words “men” vs. “mean”, the vowel “e” in the first word corresponds to the short Arabic vowel “kassrah/ ِ-” “e”, but the “ea” in the second word corresponds to the long Arabic vowel “ي”/“ee”.