Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Elementary Arabic Morphology 2 The Diminutive Pattern What is the diminutive pattern? What are the rules of the diminutive pattern? When is the letter after the diminutive yā' given a fathah? The diminutive pattern is a form which indicates smallness, degradation or love.
For example: وَلَد (boy) becomes وُلَید (small boy) The rules of the diminutive pattern are: • The first letter of the word must be given a dummah • The second letter must be given a fathah and if it is a weak letter it is put in its original form and then given a fathah • Then the diminutive yā' is added after the second letter without any vowel sign • The next letter is given a kasrah except in some cases where it is given a fathah The letter after the diminutive yā' is given a fathah if it is followed by a tā' or an alif.