scholarly journals Reflexives and Reciprocals in English and Modern Standard Arabic: An Investigation and a Comparison

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 955-968
Author(s):  
Shaimaa Darwish
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Prepositional Phrase ◽  
Binding Theory ◽  
Modern Standard Arabic ◽  
Morphological Marker ◽  
Standard Arabic ◽  
Internal Argument ◽  
Literary Arabic ◽  
Modern Standard

The aim of this paper is to investigate the typology of reflexives and reciprocals in English and MSA, which is a variety of standardized, literary Arabic used throughout Arab countries. It has shown that MSA morphologically encoded reflexives and reciprocals are in fact syntactically and semantically asymmetrical. It will be argued that morphologically encoded reflexives do not project an anaphor (an internal argument) syntactically and their morphological marker semantically serves as a reflexivizer, whereas morphologically encoded reciprocals do project an anaphor syntactically, realized either overtly or covertly. Concerning the distribution of such anaphor, the paper elucidates the admissible and in admissible environments. It is argued that MSA does not allow possessive reflexives, but allow possessive reciprocals such as the construct-state, whether it be a noun phrase or a locative prepositional phrase. This variation is accounted for by assuming that reciprocals occupy Spec of DP and therefore can be bound by an NP from a higher phase, whereas reflexives occupy a position lower than the D head and thus must be bound within their DP phase. Finally yet importantly, MSA override reflexives and reciprocals unlike their English counterparts, are always subject to the Principle A of the Binding Theory.

Theoretische und praktische Probleme einer arabischen Synonymik für deutschsprachige Wörterbuchbenutzer

1989 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eckehard Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Foundation ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Modern Standard Arabic ◽  
Standard Arabic ◽  
Regional Dialects ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
Modern Arabic ◽  
Modern Standard

SummaryA dictionary of Synonyms in Modern Standard Arabic for German speaking users is still one of the desiderata despite the importance of Synonyms for teaching Arabic and translation. Compiling such a dictionary needs a solid theoretical foundation which has to take into consideration that Modern Arabic is spoken in the Arab countries in numerous regional dialects and sociolects which are in permanent interaction with Modern Standard Arabic.

scholarly journals R-Expressions and the Interrogative Use of Anaphora in Najdi Arabic

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Mahmoud S. Al Mahmoud
Keyword(s):  
Central Region ◽  
Arabian Peninsula ◽  
Proper Names ◽  
Binding Theory ◽  
Modern Standard Arabic ◽  
Standard Arabic ◽  
Najdi Arabic ◽  
Modern Standard

This paper endeavors to explain how Najdi Arabic (NA), one of the dialects spoken in the central region of the Arabian Peninsula, diverges from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in its anaphoric treatment of R-expressions and pronominals. Data from a native Najdi Arabic informant suggest that only a subset of NA verbs allow proper names to be referentially bound by their antecedent pronouns in interrogative structures. Although this property is characteristic of Najdi Arabic not MSA, it yields certain challenges to the basic tenets of the Binding Theory. While Principle C of the Binding Theory requires R-expressions to be free, a referential reading of the NA data, which syntactically binds proper names with their pronominal referents, violates such principle. 

scholarly journals An analysis of simple and construct-state noun phrases in Modern Standard Arabic

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Issa S. AlQurashi
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Modern Standard Arabic ◽  
Standard Arabic ◽  
Modern Standard

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). A parallel phenomenon in Hebrew has been discussed quite extensively in the same framework by Wintner (2000). Most of the discussion will be devoted for the construct-state noun phrase in which the order of the elements within it is NP AP PP. Three different analyses will be outlined within the HPSG framework: the extra complement analysis, the special complement analysis, and the head-adjunct-complement analysis. These analyses will be evaluated and it will be concluded that the last analysis seems to be the best and the most promising approach to Arabic NPs.

scholarly journals Binding Relations and Their Implications for Word Order in Arabic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1018-1024
Author(s):  
Mamdouh Ayed Alenazy
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
Binding Theory ◽  
Possessive Pronoun ◽  
Modern Standard Arabic ◽  
Standard Arabic ◽  
Basic Assumptions ◽  
Condition B ◽  
Modern Standard

This study aims at investigating the distribution of the possessive pronouns in Modern Standard Arabic. It shows that when the possessive pronouns are used as reflexives they have implications for the word order. The different positions occupied by the objects are determined by the presence of these pronouns and the binding relations within the c-commanding domain. Building on the basic assumptions of Binding Theory, possessive pronouns are best treated as normal pronominal elements which are subject to condition B. However, when they are used as anaphoric elements in certain contexts, they have to be c-commanded by their antecedents. Depending on the derivational level at which c-command relation is established between the reflexive possessive pronoun and its antecedent, movement of the possessive pronoun along with the phrase containing is optional in certain structures or, in other structures, the pronoun becomes frozen in the position in which it is base-generated.

The effects of motivation on processing instruction in the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic gender agreement

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-82
Author(s):  
Ayah Farhat ◽  
Alessandro Benati
Keyword(s):  
Academic Motivation ◽  
Processing Instruction ◽  
Gender Agreement ◽  
Modern Standard Arabic ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Standard Arabic ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Modern Standard

The present study investigates the effects of motivation and processing instruction on the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic gender agreement. The role of individual differences (e.g. age, gender, aptitude, language background and working memory) on the positive effects generated by processing instruction has been investigated in the last few years. However, no previous research has been conducted to measure the possible effects of motivation on L2 learners exposed to processing instruction. In addition, a reasonable question to be addressed within the processing instruction research framework is whether its positive effects can be generalised to the acquisition of Modern Standard Arabic. The Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and the Attitude Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) motivation questionnaires were used to capture different variables that influence motivation in order to create the two different groups (high and low motivated). In this experimental study, forty-one native English school-age learners (aged 8–11) were assigned to two groups: ‘the high motivated group’ (n = 29): and the ‘low motivated group’ (n = 12). Both groups received processing instruction, which lasted for three hours. Sentence-level interpretation and production tasks were used in a pre-test and post-test design to measure instructional effects. The learners were required to fill in gaps in both written and spoken mode for the activities. The study also included a delayed post-test administered to the two groups four weeks later. The results indicated that both groups improved equally from pre-test to post-test in all assessment measures and they both retained the positive effects of the training in the delayed posttests. Processing instruction was proved to be the main factor for the improvement in performance regardless of the learner’s level of motivation.

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