LessonsFasāḥah: Foundations and the Three Defects of a WordQuiz

«المستشزر»
Twisted or tightly wound, especially as a description of hair.

The sequence of sounds is relatively heavy on the tongue. The same meaning might be conveyed through a smoother expression, showing why meaningfulness and phonetic ease must both be considered.

The point here is the word's articulatory quality, not simply that a beginning student has never encountered it.

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The example al-mustashzir

Fasāḥah: Foundations and the Three Defects of a Word

«المستشزر»
Twisted or tightly wound, especially as a description of hair.

The sequence of sounds is relatively heavy on the tongue. The same meaning might be conveyed through a smoother expression, showing why meaningfulness and phonetic ease must both be considered.

The point here is the word's articulatory quality, not simply that a beginning student has never encountered it.