Arabic: A Linguistic Introduction

201 Pages·2014·0.82 MB·English

by  Ryding K.C.

i
C:/ITOOLS/WMS/CUP-NEW/4460944/WORKINGFOLDER/RARA/9781107023314HTL.3D [1–2]24.10.20139:30AM
Arabic
This lively introduction to the linguistics of Arabic provides students with a
concise overview of the language’s structure and its various components: its
phonology, morphology, and syntax. Through exercises, discussion points and
assignments built into every chapter, the book presents the Arabic language in
vivid and engaging terms, encouraging students to grasp the complexity of its
linguistic situation. It presents key linguistic concepts and theories related to
Arabicinacoherentway,helpingtobuildstudents’analyticalandcriticalskills.
Keyfeatures:
(cid:1) studyquestions,exercises,anddiscussionpointsineverychapterencourage
studentstoengagewiththematerialandundertakespecificassignments;
(cid:1) suggestions for further reading in every chapter allow readers to engage in
moreextensiveresearchonrelevanttopics;and
(cid:1) technicalterminologyisexplainedinahelpfulglossary.
karin c. ryding is Sultan Qaboos bin Said Professor Emerita of Arabic
linguistics at Georgetown University, where she taught Arabic linguistics for
overtwentyyears.
ii
C:/ITOOLS/WMS/CUP-NEW/4460944/WORKINGFOLDER/RARA/9781107023314HTL.3D [1–2]24.10.20139:30AM
iii
C:/ITOOLS/WMS/CUP-NEW/4457415/WORKINGFOLDER/RARA/9781107023314TTL.3D [3–3]23.10.20132:31PM
Arabic
A Linguistic Introduction
KARIN C. RYDING
iv
C:/ITOOLS/WMS/CUP-NEW/4465676/WORKINGFOLDER/RARA/9781107023314IMP.3D [4–4]25.10.20135:26PM
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learningandresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107606944
©KarinC.Ryding2014
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2014
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyMPGPrintgroupLtd,Cambridge
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
ISBN978-1-107-02331-4Hardback
ISBN978-1-107-60694-4Paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
v
C:/ITOOLS/WMS/CUP-NEW/4460944/WORKINGFOLDER/RARA/9781107023314TOC.3D [5–6]24.10.20139:26AM
Contents
Preface pagevii
Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviationsandsymbolsusedinthisbook xi
1 Arabiclinguistics:overviewandhistory 1
2 Arabicphonology 13
3 Arabicphonotacticsandmorphophonology 23
4 Arabicsyllablestructureandstress 33
5 IntroductiontoArabicmorphology 41
6 Derivationalmorphology:theroot/patternsystem 55
7 Non-root/patternmorphologyandtheArabiclexicon 79
8 Arabicinflectionalmorphology 89
9 SyntacticanalysisandArabic 107
10 ArabicsyntaxI:phrasestructure 119
11 ArabicsyntaxII:clausestructure 127
Appendices
AFieldsoflinguisticsandArabic 141
BArabictranscription/transliteration/romanization 145
CArabicnominaldeclensions 149
Glossaryoftechnicalterms 157
References 167
Index 181
v
vi
C:/ITOOLS/WMS/CUP-NEW/4460944/WORKINGFOLDER/RARA/9781107023314TOC.3D [5–6]24.10.20139:26AM
vii
C:/ITOOLS/WMS/CUP-NEW/4460944/WORKINGFOLDER/RARA/9781107023314PRF.3D [7–8]24.10.20139:33AM
Preface
Despite widening international interest in Arabic language and culture,
fewresourcesexistforasystematicintroductiontothelinguisticsofArabicandfor
teaching the basics of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics. This is true
despite the fact that distinguished works exist in Arabic, English, and other
languages examining and documenting Arabic language history, structure, and
processes.WorksbyAoun,Badawi,Bateson,Beeston,Bohas,Carter,Eid,Holes,
Owens, Parkinson, Stetkevych, Talmon, Versteegh and others have contributed
vastlytounderstandingthelinguisticsofArabic.However,thereisaplaceforan
organized overview, both as a reference tool and as a foundational textbook for
learningaboutthefield.
ForteachingcoursesonArabiclinguistics,Ihaveusedbooksandarticlesbyall
the above-mentioned authors. In particular, I have found that Bateson’s Arabic
Language Handbook, Beeston’s The Arabic Language Today, and Stetkevych’s
TheModernArabicLiteraryLanguageusefulforconcisesummariesofkeytopics.
These books originally date from 1967 (Bateson) and 1970 (Beeston and
Stetkevych).Holes’ModernArabic(2004)isamoremodernandcomprehensive
approach,butIhavefoundthat itisless usefulasatextbookthanasareference
work, and I usually assign only certain parts of it. Versteegh’s book The Arabic
Language (1997), provides historical background for key developments in the
Arabiclanguagebutdoesnotanalyzetheactuallinguisticstructuresandprocesses
ofcontemporarymodernstandardArabic(MSA).Owens’manyexcellentworks
onthehistoryofArabicandofArabicgrammaticaltheoryarefocusedprimarilyon
premoderndevelopments.Thusnoneofthesebooks–despitetheirmanymerits–
formsbyitselfaframeworkforacourseincontemporaryArabiclinguistics,and
there is a distinct need for a more pedagogically focused work that includes
discussion topics, questions, and suggestions for further readings on specific
subjects. This book aims to meet the challenges of teaching elements of Arabic
linguisticstostudentsandteachers-in-trainingwhomayknowlittleaboutlinguis-
tictheory,andforclasseswheretherearemixedlevelsofabilityinthelanguage
andinacademicbackground.
vii
viii
C:/ITOOLS/WMS/CUP-NEW/4460944/WORKINGFOLDER/RARA/9781107023314PRF.3D [7–8]24.10.20139:33AM
viii Preface
In2005,IpublishedAReferenceGrammarofModernStandardArabicbasedon
acorpusofdatafromcontemporaryArabicnewspapersandothertypesofexpos-
itoryprose.ItwasintendedforaudiencesofArabiclearnersandteachers,aswellas
those with ageneral interest inthegrammatical features of thewritten language.
Thepresentbookisamoretechnicalintroductiontothestructuresandprocesses
thatcharacterizeArabiclinguistics,aimingtogatherinoneplacecurrentscholarly
resources and theories for study and further research. It has emerged and been
distilled from the content of graduate courses that I have taught at Georgetown
Universityduringthepastthirtyyears.Ratherthanadoptoneparticulartheoretical
stance, I have chosen to be as objectively descriptive as possible, introducing
theories ofvaryinglevelsofformalityandindicatingwherereaders maywantto
pursuefurtherreadingonparticulartopics.Duetolengthlimitations,Ihavehadto
omit a considerable amount of interesting and relevant research; likewise I have
omitted extended descriptions of grammatical structures because this is not a
grammarofArabic,butanintroductiontolinguisticsasappliedtoArabic.
Akeyfactormotivatingthewritingofthisbookistheneedformoreextensive
professionalresourcesforteachersofArabicasaforeignlanguage,especiallywith
thesteadydemandforknowledgeofArabiclanguagebothasaprofessionalskill
and as a discipline within the fields of humanities and social sciences. Teaching
practical knowledge of Arabic relies on the sophistication and depth of under-
standingthatteachersbringtotheirclasses–understandingnotonlytherulesof
languagestructure,butthetheoreticalunderpinningsofthelanguage,itsintellec-
tualandscholarlyheritage,andthewaysinwhichitsgrammaticalsystemcanbe
elegantlyandefficientlyportrayed.
ThisbookmayserveasatextincoursesonArabiclanguageandlinguistics,or
courses on Arabic pedagogy, or it may serve to give non-specialists a general
picture of linguistic issues in MSA. In designing this book, I have assumed an
audience with some knowledge of the Arabic language, but little knowledge of
technicallinguisticterms,theories,orapproaches.Thereareboundtobethosewho
willfindshortcomingsandgapsinthisoverview,andIassumetotalresponsibility
foranyerrorsordeficiencies.Ihopethatthisbookwillconstituteausefulfirststep
in conveying the enormous wealth of meaningful data, methods of linguistic
research, and critical insights into language systems that have made progress
throughcloseanalysisofArabiclanguagestructuresandprocesses.
ix
C:/ITOOLS/WMS/CUP-NEW/4464129/WORKINGFOLDER/RARA/9781107023314ACK.3D [9–10]25.10.20139:38AM
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank and acknowledge the following people, past and
present,whoinspiredme,helpedmeformmyideasforthisbook,andassistedme
towarditscompletion:
my Georgetown professors Wallace M. Erwin and Michael Zarechnak,
wholedmetoandthroughArabiclinguistics;
my students, who challenged and stimulated my thinking on points of
Arabiclinguistics;
mycolleaguesatGeorgetown,outstandingArabistsandlinguists;
at Cambridge University Press, Andrew Winnard, for his unfailing
support and encouragement every step of the way, and to Helena
Dowsonforherattentiveandpatienthelpinfinalizingthemanuscript;
myhusband,VictorLitwinski,forbeingavitalinterlocutoronallthings
linguistic, and for his unstinting professional and emotional support;
and
HisMajestySultanQaboosbinSaid,SultanofOman,whosepatronage
andencouragementofArabiclanguagestudyhasbeenagreatboonto
thedevelopmentofArabiclinguistics,transculturalcommunication,
andinterculturalunderstanding.
ix