TRANSCRIPTION AND TRANSLITERATION SYSTEMS, INTRODUCTION 1 THE AREA: NAJD AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD 2 THE NATURE OF DIALECT CONTRASTS 3 REDUCTIONAL CHANGES IN THE DIALECTS OF MESOPOTAMIA AND THE GULF 4 NON-REDUCTIONAL CHANGES IN THE NORTH NAJDI DIALECTS 5 GENERAL ISOGLOSS DISTRIBUTION OF THE AREA 6 TEXTS WITH TRANSLATION, BACKGROUND NOTES AND INFORMATION ON SOURCES