The three weak letters (ḥurūf al-ʿillah) are wāw (و), alif (ا), and yāʾ (ي). They receive special attention in morphology because their forms can change under particular rules.
An alif appears in قَالَ, a wāw in يَقُولُ, and an alif in بَاعَ. A letter's appearance alone does not establish its underlying root or every rule affecting it; the word's morphological history matters.
Hamzah (ء) is not simply identical to alif (ا) as a morphological letter.
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Recognizing the weak letters
Introduction to ʿIlm al-Ṣarf and Basic Terminology
The three weak letters (ḥurūf al-ʿillah) are wāw (و), alif (ا), and yāʾ (ي). They receive special attention in morphology because their forms can change under particular rules.
An alif appears in قَالَ, a wāw in يَقُولُ, and an alif in بَاعَ. A letter's appearance alone does not establish its underlying root or every rule affecting it; the word's morphological history matters.
Hamzah (ء) is not simply identical to alif (ا) as a morphological letter.