Introduction to Arabic Linguistics

A comprehensive introduction to the linguistic fundamentals of modern Arabic, ideal for Arabic language learners as well as speakers interested in developing a richer understanding of language use and behavior

Introduction to Arabic Linguistics presents a clear and engaging overview of the core linguistic aspects of modern Arabic, focusing on Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic. Designed to be welcoming for undergraduates without fluency in Arabic and for students with only limited familiarity with linguistics, this textbook covers all fundamental areas of Arabic linguistics. Detailed yet accessible chapters include comprehension and analysis questions, critical thinking exercises, application examples with authentic data, reading assignments, and classroom and homework projects.

This valuable textbook is organized into three units which cover sounds and sound systems, word structure and meaning, and phrases and phrase structure. Author Youssef Haddad draws from both the Arabic grammatical tradition and recent linguistic research to provide students with a solid foundation in the linguistic features and structures of Arabic sounds, words, and phrases. Topics include phonological processes, derivational morphology, noun and verb phrases, sentence structure, structural ambiguity, and more.

• Discusses key topics in the formal study of Arabic linguistics, suitable for Arabic speakers and language learners
• Encourages students to investigate a dialect not covered in the book at different levels of linguistic analysis
• Answers many of the most common and relevant questions in the field of Arabic linguistics
• Includes a typological and historical overview of the Arabic language
• Offers an instructor’s website with additional exercises, practice questions, PowerPoint presentations, and answer keys

Introduction to Arabic Linguistics is the perfect textbook for undergraduates in modern language and linguistic courses and a valuable resource for graduate students in Arabic studies or linguistics programs.

Youssef A. Haddad is a Professor of Arabic Language and Linguistics at the University of Florida. His research covers topics in syntax, pragmatics, phonology, and prosodic morphology. He is the author of two books, Control into Conjunctive Participle Clauses: The Case of Assamese and The Sociopragmatics of Attitude Datives in Levantine Arabic, and is the co-editor of volumes XVIII and XXXI of Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics.

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiv

Abbreviations xv

Glossary xvi

1 Arabic: An Insider’s Perspective 1

1.1 My Experience with Arabic 4

1.2 My Experience with Other Languages 10

1.3 About this Book 12

Part I Arabic Sounds and Sound Systems 15

2 Speech Sounds: An Insider’s Perspective 17

2.1 Production of Speech Sounds 18

2.2 The International Phonetic Alphabet 21

2.3 The Arabic Writing System 23

2.4 Conclusion 27

3 Arabic Consonants and Vowels 28

3.1 Modern Standard Arabic Consonants 28

3.1.1 Place of Articulation 29

3.1.1.1 Bilabial Consonants 29

3.1.1.2 Labiodental Consonants 32

3.1.1.3 Interdental Consonants 32

3.1.1.4 Alveolar Consonants 34

3.1.1.5 Palatal Consonants 35

3.1.1.6 Velar Consonants 36

3.1.1.7 Uvular Consonants 37

3.1.1.7 Pharyngeal Consonants 38

3.1.1.8 Glottal Consonants 39

3.1.2 Voicing 40

3.1.3 Manner of Articulation 40

3.1.3.1 Oral Stops 41

3.1.3.2 Nasal Stops 43

3.1.3.3 Fricatives 43

3.1.3.4 Liquids 46

3.1.3.5 Glides 47

3.2 Modern Standard Arabic Vowels 48

3.3 Modern Standard Arabic Sounds: Putting it all Together 52

3.4 Levantine Arabic Sounds 56

3.4.1 Levantine Arabic Consonants 56

3.4.2 Levantine Arabic Vowels 58

3.4.3 Levantine Arabic Sounds: Putting it all Together 58

3.5 Conclusion 63

4 Arabic Syllable Structure and Stress 65

4.1 Syllable Structure in Modern Standard Arabic 66

4.2 Stress in Modern Standard Arabic 76

4.3 Syllable Structure and Stress in Levantine Arabic 79

4.4 Conclusion 85

5 Arabic Sound System 87

5.1 Minimal Pairs and Phonemes vs. Allophones 89

5.2 Phonological Derivation 93

5.2.1 Assimilation 93

5.2.2 Epenthesis 104

5.2.3 Syncope and Vowel Shortening 109

5.2.4 Ordering of Rules 111

5.3 Conclusion 113

Part II Arabic Words: Their Structure and Meaning 115

6 Arabic Morphology: An Overview 117

6.1 Agglutination 118

6.2 Interdigitation: Root-and-Pattern Morphology 124

6.3 Conclusion 128

7 Arabic Verbs: Form and Meaning 130

7.1 Modern Standard Arabic Verbs 130

7.2 Pattern I: C1VC2VC3 or faʕal-a/faʕil-a/faʕul-a 136

7.3 Augmented Patterns II through X 142

7.3.1 Patterns II and V: faʕʕal-a and tafaʕʕal-a 142

7.3.2 Patterns III and VI: faːʕal-a – tafaːʕal-a 146

7.3.3 Patterns IV and X: ʔafʕal-a – stafʕal-a 150

7.3.4 Patterns VII and VIII: nfaʕal-a – ftaʕal-a 153

7.3.5 Patterns I–VIII, X: Looking at Them Together! 156

7.3.6 Patterns IX: fʕall-a 158

7.3.7 Verb Patterns: A Word of Caution 159

7.4 Levantine Arabic Verbs 161

7.4.1 Verb Conjugation in Levantine Arabic 161

7.4.2 LA Pattern I Verbs 164

7.4.3 LA Pattern II 165

7.4.4 LA Pattern III 167

7.4.5 LA Pattern IV 169

7.4.6 LA Pattern V 171

7.4.7 LA Pattern VI 173

7.4.8 LA Pattern VII 174

7.4.9 LA Pattern VIII 176

7.4.10 LA Pattern X 177

7.4.11 LA Pattern IX 179

7.5 Conclusion 179

8 Arabic Nouns: Form and Meaning 181

8.1 The Modern Standard Arabic masˤdar 182

8.1.1 Pattern I Verbal Nouns 183

8.1.2 Patterns II–X Verbal Nouns 185

8.2 Modern Standard Arabic Participles 189

8.2.1 Participles Derived from Pattern I Verbs 189

8.2.2 Participles Derived from Patterns II–X Verbs 191

8.3 Other Types of Modern Standard Arabic Nouns 198

8.3.1 Nouns of Instance 198

8.3.2 Nouns of Profession: C1iC2aːC3a(t)/fiʕaːla(t) 201

8.3.3 Nouns of Instrument 202

8.3.4 Nouns of Place 203

8.4 Modern Standard Arabic Adjectives 204

8.4.1 Adjective Derivation from Pattern I Verbs 204

8.4.2 Adjectives Denoting Color and Physical Traits 206

8.4.3 Relative Adjectives 206

8.4.4 Comparative and Superlative Adjectives 208

8.5 Modern Standard Arabic Nouns and Adjectives: Inflectional Categories 210

8.5.1 Modern Standard Arabic Gender 210

8.5.2 Modern Standard Arabic Number 211

8.5.2.1 Modern Standard Arabic Dual 212

8.5.2.2 Modern Standard Arabic Sound Feminine Plural 212

8.5.2.3 Modern Standard Arabic Sound Masculine Plural 215

8.5.2.4 Modern Standard Arabic Broken Plural 216

8.5.3 Modern Standard Arabic Case 219

8.5.4 Modern Standard Arabic Definiteness 221

8.6 Levantine Arabic Noun Morphology 223

8.6.1 Levantine Arabic Definiteness 224

8.6.2 Levantine Arabic Gender 224

8.6.3 Levantine Arabic Number 225

8.6.4 Levantine Arabic Case 226

8.7 Conclusion 229

Part III Arabic Phrases and Phrase Structure 253

9 Arabic Morphophonology 231

9.1 The Arabic Verb Root 232

9.2 Verb Roots and Morphophonology 234

9.2.1 The Morphophonology of Assimilated Roots 234

9.2.2 The Morphophonology of Hollow Roots 236

9.2.3 The Morphophonology of Defective Roots 240

9.2.4 The Morphophonology of Verbs Derived from Geminated Roots 244

9.3 Other Morphophonological Phenomena 248

9.3.1 The Morphophonology of Imperatives 248

9.3.2 Syncope and Epenthesis in Lebanese Arabic Verb Paradigms 250

9.4 Conclusion 252

10 Phrase Structure: An Overview 255

10.1 Categories and Phrases 256

10.2 Constituency 263

10.3 Conclusion 267

11 The Simple Sentence in Arabic 269

11.1 Verbal Sentences 269

11.2 Nominal Sentences 280

11.2.1 Verbless Nominal Sentences 281

11.2.2 Nominal Sentences with Linking Verbs 283

11.2.3 Nominal Sentences with Lexical Verbs 289

11.3 Conclusion 295

12 Arabic Noun Phrases 296

12.1 The Minimal Noun Phrase 296

12.2 Noun Phrases with Specifiers 301

12.2.1 Indefiniteness 301

12.2.2 Definiteness via l- Suffixation 303

12.2.3 Demonstratives 308

12.3 Noun Phrases with Modifiers 309

12.3.1 Noun Phrases with Adjectives 309

12.3.2 Noun Phrases with Prepositional Phrases 315

12.4 Construct Noun Phrases 317

12.4.1 The Structure of Construct Noun Phrases 317

12.4.2 Construct Noun Phrases as Single Prosodic Units 322

12.4.3 Construct Noun Phrases: Meaning Contributions 331

12.4.4 Other Uses of Construct Noun Phrases 341

12.5 Conclusion 343

13 Arabic Verb Phrases 345

13.1 Verb Phrases: Selectional Requirements 345

13.2 Tense, Aspect, and Mood 352

13.2.1 The Perfective 353

13.2.2 The Imperfective 357

13.2.2.1 The Imperfective in Modern Standard Arabic 357

13.2.2.2 The Imperfective in Levantine Arabic 365

13.3 Verb Phrases with Compounds Verbs 372

13.4 Conclusion 381

14 Before You Go 382

14.1 What Have We Accomplished? 382

14.2 Where Do We Go Now? 384

Bibliography 385

Index 391

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