Danks The Arabic Verb

Form and meaning in the vowel-lengthening patterns
Erscheinungsjahr 2011
ISBN: 978-90-272-8695-6
Verlag: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 63, 300 Seiten

Reihe: Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics

The Arabic verbal system is, for most grammarians, the keystone of the language. Notable for the regularity of its patterns, it presents the linguist with an unparalleled opportunity to explore the Saussurean notion of the indivisible sign: form and meaning. Whilst Arabic forms are well-documented, the elucidation of the corresponding meanings has proved more challenging. Beginning with an examination of the verbal morphology of Modern Standard Arabic, including an evaluation of the significance of the consonantal root, this volume then concentrates on establishing the function of the vowel-lengthening verbal patterns (III and VI). It explores issues of mutuality and reciprocity, valency and transitivity, ultimately focusing on atelic lexical aspect as the unified meaning of these patterns. This study is rich in data and relies extensively upon contemporary examples (with transliteration and translation) to illustrate its arguments, adopting an empirical structuralist approach which is aimed both at general linguists and at specialist Arabists.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Danks, Warwick

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Grammatik, Syntax, Morphologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Einzelne Sprachen & Sprachfamilien
• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Sprachwissenschaften Theoretische Linguistik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface

xi–xii
Notes on symbols, abbreviations and other conventions followed in examples

xiii–xvi
1. Introduction

1–13
2. Verbal morphology and the lexicon

15–38
3. Alternative morphologies

39–62
4. Understanding Arabic verbal semantics: Form and meaning

63–82
5. Evaluating the pattern III–pattern VI semantic relationship

83–102
6. Transitivity and valency

103–130
7. The pattern III template: From form to meaning

131–156
8. An aspectual model for Modern Standard Arabic

157–188
9. Aspectual categorisation of patterns III and VI

189–212
10. Inceptive aspect

213–236
11. The passive in patterns III and VI

237–246
12. Conclusions

247–256
Bibliography

257–264
Appendix I. Data tables

265
Appendix II. Semantic category labels

267–268
Appendix III. Native speaker questionnaire

269–273
Appendix IV. Passive participles in patterns III and VI

275
Name index

277–278
Subject index

279–281