While many languages have numerous dialects that differ in phonology, the contemporary spoken Arabic language is more properly described as a continuum of varieties. This article deals primarily with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which is the standard variety shared by educated speakers throughout Arabic-speaking regions. MSA is used in writing in formal print media and orally in newscasts, speeches and formal declarations of numerous types. Modern Standard Arabic has 28 consonant phonemes and 6 vowel phonemes or 8 or 10 vowels in most modern dialects. All phonemes contrast between "emphatic" (pharyngealized) consonants and non-emphatic ones. Some of these phonemes have coalesced in the various modern dialects, while new phonemes have been introduced through borrowing or phonemic splits. A "phonemic quality of length" applies to consonants as well as vowels. Vowels Modern Standard Arabic has six vowel phonemes forming three pairs of corresponding short and long vowels (). Many spoken varieties also include and . Modern Standard Arabic has two diphthongs (formed by a combination of short with the semivowels and ). Allophony in different dialects of Arabic can occur and is partially conditioned by neighboring consonants within the same word. The following are some general rules: retracted to in the environment of a neighboring , or an emphatic consonant (one that is uvularized, though customarily transcribed as if pharyngealized): , , , , and in a few regional standard pronunciations also and ; only in Iraq and the Persian Gulf: before a word boundary; advanced to in the environment of most consonants: labial consonants (, and ), plain (non-emphatic) coronal consonants with the exception of : namely , , , , , , , , and pharyngeal consonants ( and ) glottal consonants ( and ) , and ; Across North Africa and West Asia, the allophones and may be realized differently, either as , or both as ; In northwestern Africa, the open front vowel is raised to or . Across North Africa and West Asia, may be realized as before or adjacent to emphatic consonants and , , , . can also have different realizations, i.e. . Sometimes with one value for each vowel in both short and long lengths or two different values for each short and long lengths. They can be distinct phonemes in loanwords for a number of speakers. In Egypt, close vowels have different values; short initial or medial: , ← instead of .