South Mesopotamian Arabic

South Mesopotamian Arabic or Marsh Arabic or commonly known as Basrawai is a variety of Mesopotamian Arabic spoken by Southern Iraqis in Basra, Maysan, Dhi Qar, Wasit and Muthanna. This dialect differs distinctly from other dialects of Iraq and features a strong Aramaic and Sumerian influence. One of the most noticeable features of South Mesopotamian Arabic is the existence of the sounds , , and.

Phonology

The following describes the sounds of the Baṣra dialect:

Sounds /, / are only heard from loanwords.
is more commonly heard as the reflex of // in the Baṣra dialect, whereas // more commonly is heard in cultural words or names.
// may also be heard as a fricative in rural areas.
Vowels
// can be heard as in word-final positions. It may be pronounced as when in positions of pharyngeal consonants
// can be heard as in word-final positions. It may be pronounced as when after pharyngealized consonants.
/, / is typically heard as when in palatal consonant environments. It is heard as when in pharyngealized environments.