CVVC syllables non-finally without geminates like in /ruːs.jaː/ "Russia" which can be modified to /ruː.si.jaː/ to fit the phonotactics better. Word stress The placement of word stress in Arabic varies considerably from one dialect to another, and has been the focus of extensive research and debate. In determining stress, Arabic distinguishes three types of syllables: Light: An open syllable containing a short vowel (i.e. CV), such as wa 'and' Heavy: An open syllable containing a long vowel (i.e. CVV), such as sā.fara 'he travelled' A closed syllable containing a short vowel followed by one consonant (i.e. CVC), such as min 'from' or ka.tab.tu 'I wrote' Super-heavy: A closed syllable containing a long vowel followed by one consonant (i.e. CVVC), such as bāb# 'door' or mād.dun 'stretching (NOM)' A closed syllable containing a short vowel followed by two consonants (i.e. CVCC), such as bint# 'girl', or a long vowel followed by a geminate consonant (i.e. CVVCiCi), such as mādd# 'stretching' The word stress of Classical Arabic has been the subject of debate. However, there is consensus as to the general rule, even though there are some exceptions. A simple rule of thumb is that word-stress falls on the penultimate syllable of a word if that syllable is closed, and otherwise on the antepenultimate. A more precise description is J. C. E. Watson's. Here the stressed syllable follows the marker ' and variant rules are in brackets: Modern Arabic dialects all maintain rules (1) and (2). But if there is neither a final superheavy syllable nor a heavy penultimate syllable, their behaviour varies. Thus in Palestinian, rule (3) is instead 'otherwise stress the first syllable (up to the antepenult): ‘he wrote’, ‘man’', whereas the basic rules of Cairene (to which there are exceptions) are: Local variations of Modern Standard Arabic Spoken varieties differ from Classical Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic not only in grammar but also in pronunciation. Outside of the Arabian peninsula, a major linguistic division is between sedentary, largely urban, varieties and rural varieties. Inside the Arabian peninsula and in Iraq, the two types are less distinct; but the language of the urbanized Hejaz, at least, strongly looks like a conservative sedentary variety. Some examples of variation: Consonants In Modern Standard Arabic (not in Egypt's use), is used as a marginal phoneme to pronounce some dialectal and loan words. On the other hand, it is considered a native phoneme or