Contact and variation in Arabic intonation

Evidence is emerging of differences among Arabic dialects in their intonation patterns, along known parameters of variation in prosodic typology. Through a series of brief case studies, this chapter explores the hypothesis that variation in intonation in Arabic results from changes in the phonology of individual Arabic varieties, triggered by past (or present-day) speaker bilingualism. If correct, variation in intonation should reflect prosodic properties of the specific languages that a particular regional dialect has had contact with.