Distinction Denied

In the bustling streets of Istanbul, a company named “ALEMTYAZ LIMITED ŞİRKETİ” proudly displays its name on a glass facade. The English/Turkish transliteration is clear enough, but the Arabic script below it suffers from a case of orthographic overkill.

Diagnosis: Spelling

The company name, meant to signify “Distinction” or “Excellence,” introduces a Breaking Hamza (هَمْزَةُ قَطْع) where the rules strictly demand a smooth connection.

Arabic text in question

Arabic text as it should be

Note: You don’t use diacritics (تشكيل) in everyday Arabic. We use them here to clearly explain the grammar, spelling and meaning of words. To avoid confusion, we generally ignore auxiliary vowels that are necessary for pronunciation to avoid consonant clusters.

Analysis

The error here is a specific type of spelling mistake common even among native speakers, but strictly incorrect in standard orthography.

• The Root Cause: The word is derived from the Form VIII verb (الفِعْلُ الثُّلَاثِيُّ المَزِيدُ بِحَرْفَيْنِ – بَابُ افْتَعَلَ).
• The Verb: The verb is اِمْتَازَ (imtāza – to be distinguished).
• The Verbal Noun: The noun (المَصْدَر) is اِمْتِيَاز (imtiyāz).
• According to the rules of Arabic orthography, the imperative (الأَمْر), the past tense (الْمَاضِي), and the verbal noun (المَصْدَر) of Form VIII verbs always take the Connecting Hamza (هَمْزَةُ وَصْل).

This means the Aleph at the beginning is written bare, without the little symbol (ء) above or below it.

• Wrong: إِمْتِيَاز (Imtiyāz)

• Right: اِمْتِيَاز (Imtiyāz)

The sign designer likely heard the sharp “i” sound at the start of the word and assumed it required a Hamzat Qat’ with a kasra (إِ), ignoring the morphological rule that governs this specific verb form.

The Company Name

The irony is palpable. The word الِامْتِيَاز (al-Imtiyāz) signifies:

• Distinction
• Excellence
• Privilege
• Concession/Franchise

By misspelling their own name, they have arguably failed to achieve the linguistic “excellence” they are advertising.

Source: Real Place
Time the picture was taken:  2025-11-28

Location: Türkiye
Gençtürk Caddesi –

Türkiye
Latitude: 41.0117067
Longitude: 28.9555674

Credit
Picture credit: Gerald Drißner
Added: 11/30/2025 by Gerald Drißner

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