Part I. The script
Lesson 3. Chunks and ligatures
The letters that never join forward
ا, د, ذ, ر, ز, و join to the letter before them but never to the letter after. The next letter starts fresh. So many words break into chunks with small gaps.
Compare: ك + ت + ب joins fully as كتب. د + ر + و never joins: درو.
Why it matters: a gap inside a word is not a space between words. Word spaces are wider. In handwriting, keep them clearly wider.
lām + alif
When ل comes before ا, they fuse into one shape: لا. The same with the hamza seats: لأ, لإ. Fonts and keyboards do it for you. By hand, learn it as one shape. It turns up in every e after l: leche · لَاجَّا.
Exercises 3
- Which of these never join forward? ب, د, ر, ل, و, ك, ا
- Join these letters into one word: م + ل + ك.
- How many chunks does دارو have?
- What shape do ل + ا make together?
- Is the gap in درو a word break?
- How many chunks does مَدْرِدْ break into?
Answers
- د, ر, و, ا
- ملك (all three join).
- Four. Every letter in it is a non-joiner.
- لا
- No. It's a gap inside one word.
- Madrid · مَدْرِدْ: three chunks, مد, ر and د.