A phase-based approach to the construct state (original) (raw)
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Pronominal state in colloquial arabic : a diachronic attempt
Studia Orientalia, 1995
The concept of state The term stcttus oÍ state has been used in Semitic studies for a long time to describe certain phenomena in the nominal inflection. For Hebrew, Aramaic, Akkadian, and Ancient South Arabian the term is well established although a clearcut definition of it in general linguistic terms is lacking. For Arabic, the term construct state is sometimes used as a designation for words in the 'i(ãfa-construction, but this usage remains strangely isolated in descriptive Arabic grarnmar and constitutes one of the many idiosyncrasies of that subject. The following definition of state is the basis for this study: state is a kind of allomorphic variation affecting bound morphemes marking gender, number and case.l By this definition the connection between semantic oppositions and different states is dissolved. The morphemes in question are the cartiers of semantic-syntactic information which can be realised differently according to rules of distibution. The resulting variation has no impact on meaning. E.g. the so-called masculine plural in Hebrew is a morpheme {MASC+PLUR} that is realized as two allomorphs:-ím and-e: |lrîm yaftm'beautiful songs' vs. iîrë dawld'the songs of David'. These are traditionally designated abolute and construct state rcspectively. The senrantic content of the two-el-i¿¡ elements is identic¿rl, viz plural, and in adjectives also masculine gender. The choice between different realisations is due to morphological ¿urd/or syntactic environment.2 It might be objected that there is after all a kind of semantic difference between e.g. the Hebrew-e and-im suffixes. Even if both have the semantic content {MASK+ PLUR l they furrction as markers of different syntactic constructions which could be seen as representing a kind of semantic distinction. The answer to this is that since morphological state marking is not obligatory in order to distinguish the syntagms in question, the different forms of state cannot bc ascribed morphemic status, If we take the 'ic!ãfatsnúxíit syntagm as an example, it is obvious that this syntagm is constituted by applying a rule of syntactic ordering linking two or more nouns so as to behave syntactically as if they wcre one. The annexion of nouns in an ,i(afa has special properties distinguishing it from e.g. attributive and appositional I Thi" del'inition has been presentcd in Retsö, Sla¡e. 2 Fo, a definition of state in similar terms see Reiner, Aualysis 57 r84 JAN RLTSÖ 'lVRIcIff, W., A grammar of thc Arabic language I. 3rd Éd.' Cåmbridge t896.
This paper argues that the CP (Complementizer Phrase) clause structure of standard Arabic shows a split in all clausal stages in the sense of Rizzi (1997, 2004). In Rizzi's system, there is a Finiteness (Fin) node dominated by a Topic (Top) node which is dominated by a Focus (Foc) node. The Foc node is dominated by another Top node which is in turn dominated by the Force node heading the entire clausal structure-the Force Phrase (ForceP). The present work seeks to establish such a parallel articulation of the left periphery of the clause in Standard Arabic as comprising such functional categories as Topic, Focus and Finiteness, highlighting in the meantime the role of Topics in 'higher predication' in the clause structure of Standard Arabic. The proposed decomposed CP of Standard Arabic will be motivated by data from sentences displaying the Sbject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, specifically topicalized/clitic left-dislocation structures. These constructions provide evidence for a decomposed CP and for the correlated Topic and Focus interpretation at the interface level.
Are Adjectives Phrases Phases? Evidence from Arabic
2019
This paper is an attempt to solve a controversy related to the phasal status of adjective phrases (APs). It focuses on APs in Arabic. Given that APs in Arabic are marked for (in)definiteness on a par with nominals, APs modifying definite nouns are, accordingly, DPs. In this paper, I prove that Adjectival DPs in Arabic are not phases. Hence, I argue against Boskovic’s (2012, 2014) view in favor of Hinzen’s (2012) view that APs are not phases. By applying the three-levelled tests: syntactic, P(honetic)F(orm)-based, and L(ogical)F(orm)-based, the paper proves that Arabic modifying adjective phrases do not comply with all the phasal diagnostics.
Definiteness spreading in the Hebrew construct state
Lingua, 2008
The Construct State (CS) in Modern Hebrew displays a phenomenon known as \textsc{Definiteness Spreading} (DS), often characterized as having the definiteness value of the CS determined by that of its embedded genitive phrase. This is shown to be an oversimplification: semantically, DS gives rise to no less than four different interpretation patterns in definite-marked CSs. We examine the implications of these semantic facts for a Minimalist analysis of DS in terms of the operation Agree. It is argued that the formulation of Agree given in Chomsky (2000, 2001) does not provide the tools needed to account for these facts. A further problem for a syntactic analysis based on Agree is posed by the structural configuration found with adjectival CS modifiers, where agreement takes place despite the lack of the c-command relation required by Agree. This paper argues that both problems can be solved by viewing the Agree operation as a feature sharing operation, as proposed independently by several authors. Using this approach, all four semantic patterns can be derived using an independently motivated hypothesis regarding the interpretation of features at the syntax-semantics interface.
An Analysis of Simple and Construct-State Noun Phrases in Modern Standard Arabic
2015
This paper aims to propose an HPSG analysis for simple and construct-state noun phrases in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). To the best of my knowledge, there are no major HPSG analyses of MSA noun phrases (NPs). 1 A parallel phenomenon in Hebrew has been discussed quite extensively in the same framework by Wintner (2000). Simple MSA noun phrases can be definite or indefinite. Definite nouns are prefixed with the definite article (al-) -glossed ‘DEF’(see, for example, Ouhalla, 1991; Fassi Fehri, 1993; Ryding, 2005; Benmamoun, 2006, among others), and indefinite nouns are suffixed with the indefinite marker (-n) -glossed ‘INDEF’(see, for example, Ryding, 2005, among others) as in (1).
Assignment of the Nominative Case in Jussive Structures in Arabic Syntax: A Minimalist View
Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2012
The objective: this work is meant to assign the nominative case to the subject of the jussive structure in Arabic syntax in the absence of a case assignor at all levels of syntax. The methodology: to give a justifiable solution to this problem, the researcher refers to Chomsky's (1981 and 1995) and Radford (1988) theoretical views on this issue. The results: though there is no overt tense to function as a case assignor to the subject, the jussive sentence is grammatical. It was claimed by the traditional grammarians that the subject is in the nominative due to the occurrence of the final overt morphological realizations. The conclusion: an overt subject N" or covert one liable to case cannot occur in a sentence without being governed by a case assignor; the researcher could find out that the nominative case assignor is the empty [T].
The Structure of the Determiner Phrase in Moroccan Arabic: A Minimalist Approach
International Journal of Linguistics Studies (IJLS), 2023
This study analyzes the structure of the determiner phrase (DP) in Moroccan Arabic (MA) within the framework of the Minimalist Program (MP). The study focuses on the determiners, adjectives, and possessives within the DP. The findings show that the determination of definiteness or indefiniteness of the noun is crucial and affects the structure of the DP. In this respect, the head of the DP possesses a definiteness feature; thus, noun movement to the determiner position is triggered by both the definiteness feature and the Minimal Link Condition (MLC). Adjective phrases in the DP are analyzed through the functional category AgrP to satisfy the features of the nouns and adjectives locally. Specifically, the uninterpreted features of case, gender, and number are carried in the head of AgrP, and movement is triggered by the need to satisfy the Extended Projection Principle (EPP) and to allow for feature checking while respecting the MLC principle. The paper argues that Carnie's (2013) arguments about the possessive DP are inadequate to account for MA and proposes the insertion of a functional projection "PossP" that dominates the whole DP, enabling the genitive case to be assigned to the possessor DP. The study shows that the MP approach is adequate in analyzing the DP structure in MA, the operations MOVE and MERGE, and the EPP and MLC principles play essential roles in forming DP structures. The paper also notes that when elements move, they leave behind a copy of the model element to preserve the original semantic interpretation.
This thesis provides a minimalist account of the Arabic DP. The data used comes from Modern Standard Arabic and Makkan Arabic, a spoken variety used in Saudi Arabia. Using two varieties provides a more complete picture of Arabic DPs and sheds light on the relationship between standard and spoken Arabic. I argue that head-to-spec movement takes place in all Arabic DPs and that this movement is a cyclic, minimalist alternative to standard Head Movement. I claim that the basic differences between Simple DPs and Free States on the one hand and Construct States on the other are derivable from the D projected in each structure; definite or indefinite D are projected in the former and Construct State D in the latter. I analyse Construct States headed by a number of categories: nouns, quantifiers, nominalised adjectives, numerals and verbal nouns. I claim that the similarities between these constructs are due to the use of Construct State D, and the special behaviour of each type is a reflection of the category of the head projected below D. I propose that the Arabic lexicon is rich and I present evidence for some complex word formation processes. Moreover, I propose that complex adjectives, often referred to in the related literature as Adjectival Constructs, which show a mixture of adjectival and construct properties, are adjectival compounds formed in the lexicon. I also argue that Verbal Noun Construct States in Modern Standard Arabic may be formed either in the lexicon or in the syntax, and that each option is associated with different structures and modificational patterns. Moreover, I claim that the restrictions on Verbal Noun Construct States in Makkan Arabic are a result of this variety having only lexically formed Verbal Nouns.