The Feature Structure of Functional

Focusing on the relation between functional categories and lexical and phrasal categories in Arabic dialects, Benmamoun proposes that universally functional categories are specified for categorial features which determine their relation with lexical categories. Language variation is attributed to differences with respect to the categorial feature specifications of functional categories and how they interact with lexical categories. The book brings new insights to issues related to the syntax of functional categories, the relation between syntax and the morpho-phonological component, and comparative syntax.

Comparative Arabic Syntax

3

(14)

Main Empirical Generalizations

3

(8)

The Syntax of Tense in Arabic

3

(3)

The Syntax of Sentential Negation in Arabic

6

(3)

Agreement Asymmetries

9

(2)

Theoretical Assumptions and Implications

11

(6)

The Syntax of Functional Categories

12

(2)

Theoretical Implications

14

(3)

Part I The Feature Structure of Tense

17

(50)

The Tense Systems of Egyptian Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, and Standard Arabic

19

(18)

Verb Morphology in Standard Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, and Egyptian Arabic

19

(5)

Standard Arabic

19

(3)

Moroccan Arabic and Egyptian Arabic

22

(2)

The Typology of Tense in Arabic

24

(4)

The Past Tense

24

(4)

The Syntactic Status of the Imperfective

28

(3)

Distribution of the Imperfective Verb

28

(2)

The Imperfective Verb as Default Form of the Verb

30

(1)

The Present Tense

31

(2)

The Future Tense

33

(1)

Imperatives

34

(1)

Conclusion

35

(2)

The Categorial Features of Tense

37

(14)

Typology of the Categorial Features of Tense

37

(1)

The Feature Structure of the Arabic Tense System

38

(10)

Verbless Sentences as Small Clauses

39

(3)

The Null Copula Analysis

42

(1)

Verbless Sentences Have a Functional Projection but no Verbal Predicate

43

(5)

A Theory of the Categorial Features of Tense

48

(2)

The Present Tense

48

(1)

The Past Tense

49

(1)

The Future Tense

50

(1)

Conclusion

50

(1)

Checking the Categorial Features of Tense

51

(16)

Verb Movement and Negation

52

(1)

Independent Negatives

53

(3)

Idiomatic Expressions and Word Order Asymmetries

56

(2)

The Morphological Distribution of the Person Prefix

58

(4)

Word Order Alternations

62

(2)

Position of the Subject in Verbless Negative Sentences

64

(2)

Conclusion

66

(1)

Part II The Feature Structure of Negation

67

(52)

Sentential Negation in the Modern Arabic Dialects

69

(25)

Representation of Sentential Negation

69

(9)

Distribution of the Two Negative Morphemes ma and s

70

(1)

s as Spec of NegP

71

(2)

Arguments against s as Spec of NegP

73

(3)

ma---s as a Complex Head of NegP

76

(2)

The Feature Structure of Negation

78

(12)

The Categorial Feature of Sentential Negation

78

(2)

Checking the Categorial Feature of Negation

80

(10)

Merger between Negation and Non-Verbal Predicates: Syntax or PF?

90

(3)

Conclusion

93

(1)

Negation in Standard Arabic

94

(17)

laa, lam, and lan

94

(5)

Representation of laa and Its Variants

95

(1)

Complementary Distribution between Tensed Negatives and Tensed Verbs

96

(1)

Problems with the Minimality Based Analysis

97

(1)

laa and its Variants Do Not Select a VP

98

(1)

Complementary Distribution, Feature Checking and Morphological Blocking

99

(3)

Merger and Feature Checking

99

(2)

The Derivation of Tensed Negatives

101

(1)

The Negative laysa

102

(5)

laysa as Head of NegP

103

(1)

Agreement on laysa

103

(2)

laysa and Its Absence in the Context of Tensed Verbs

105

(1)

Projections, Competition, and Last Resort

106

(1)

maa

107

(2)

Conclusion

109

(2)

Negation and Imperatives

111

(8)

The Syntactic Distribution of the Imperative

111

(1)

Positive Imperatives vs. Negative Imperatives

112

(2)

Previous Accounts of the Difference between Negative Imperatives and Positive Imperatives

114

(2)

Analysis of the Difference between Positive and Negative Imperatives

116

(1)

Conclusion

117

(2)

Part III Agreement Asymmetries

119

(38)

Subject Verb Agreement Asymmetries

121

(19)

Agreement Paradigms

121

(1)

Previous Accounts

122

(4)

Two Agreement Paradigms

122

(3)

Partial Agreement as Agreement with Expletive

125

(1)

Full Agreement as Incorporated Pronominal

126

(1)

Distribution of Number Agreement

126

(2)

Analysis of the Distribution of Number Agreement

128

(4)

Absence of the Number Suffix due to Merger between the Verb and Subject

129

(1)

Distribution of Person Agreement

130

(1)

Verb/Subject Merger: Syntactic or PF

131

(1)

Merger and Adjacency

132

(1)

Agreement in Moroccan Arabic

132

(1)

Agreement and Interpretation

133

(3)

Agreement Between Demonstratives and Nouns

136

(3)

Conclusion

139

(1)

Agreement Asymmetries in DPs

140

(17)

The Construct State

141

(4)

Properties of the Construct State

141

(2)

Structure of the Construct State

143

(1)

Previous Analyses

143

(2)

Merger of the Members of the Construct State

145

(7)

Against Lexical Merger

145

(4)

Against Syntactic Merger

149

(3)

Members of the Construct State Merge Post-Syntactically

152

(1)

Merger vs. Percolation

153

(2)

Conclusion

155

(2)

Notes

157

(10)

Bibliography

167

(8)

Index

175

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The Feature Structure of Functional Categories A Comparative Study of Arabic Dialects

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Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials