Copulae in the Arabic Noun Phrase: A Unified Analysis of Arabic Adnominal Markers

345 Pages·2013·3.42 MB·English

by  Francesco Grande

Copulae in the Arabic Noun Phrase
Studies in
Semitic Languages and
Linguistics
Editorial board
Aaron D. Rubin and C.H.M. Versteegh
VOLUME 70
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ssl
Copulae in the Arabic Noun Phrase
A Unified Analysis of Arabic Adnominal Markers
By
Francesco Grande
With a Foreword by
Antonella Ghersetti
LEiDEN • bOStON
2013
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Grande, Francesco.
 Copulae in the Arabic noun phrase : a unified analysis of Arabic adnominal markers / by
Francesco Grande ; with a foreword by Antonella Ghersetti.
  pages cm. — (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics ; 70)
 includes index.
 iSbN 978-90-04-25627-9 (hardback : alk. paper) — iSbN 978-90-04-25628-6 (e-book) 1. Arabic
language—Noun phrase. 2. Arabic language—Sentences. 3. Arabic language—Noun. i. title.
 PJ6696.Z5N684 2013
 492.7’555—dc23
2013024125
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iSSN 0081-8461
iSbN 978-90-04-25627-9 (hardback)
iSbN 978-90-04-25628-6 (e-book)
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CONtENtS
List of Maps, Figure and tables  ................................................................. xi
Foreword  ........................................................................................................... xiii
Acknowledgements  ........................................................................................ xvii
List of Abbreviations  ...................................................................................... xix
introduction  .................................................................................................... 1
0.1 the topic  ........................................................................................... 1
0.2 the Problem and a Proposed Solution: Predication
Analysis  .............................................................................................. 2
0.3 Predication Analysis: the Diachronic Dimension  ................ 5
0.4 Predication Analysis: the typological Dimension  ............... 8
0.5 Predication Analysis: the Syntactic Dimension  .................... 9
0.6 An Apparent Counterexample  .................................................... 14
0.7 Developing Predication Analysis  ............................................... 15
0.8 the Notion of Native Speaker  ..................................................... 16
1 Copulae in Arabic and Semitic  ............................................................ 23
1.1 Preliminary Remarks ...................................................................... 23
1.2 Genetic and Diffusionist Models of Language
Relatedness  ....................................................................................... 24
1.3 the Genetic-Diffusionist Model: Amorite and
Pre-Semitic Parastrates  ................................................................. 28
1.4 Predication Analysis and the Genetic-Diffusionist
Model  .................................................................................................. 35
1.4.1 Amorite and Pre-Semitic Copulae: A taxonomy  ...... 35
1.4.2 Amorite and Pre-Semitic Copulae: A Refined
Account  .................................................................................. 51
1.4.3 Consequences for the l-marker  ...................................... 52
1.4.4 Consequences for the y-marker  ..................................... 53
1.4.5 Consequences for the Case-Endings  ............................. 54
1.4.6 Consequences for the š-marker  ...................................... 58
1.4.7 Consequences for the ḥāl-construction  ....................... 62
1.5 Conclusion  ........................................................................................ 63
viii contents
2 Arabic Copulae: From Modifiers to Relative Clauses  .................... 65
2.1 the Diachrony of Predication Analysis and Arabic
Modifiers  ............................................................................................ 65
2.2 Arabic Modifiers and Arab Grammarians  ............................... 67
2.3 the ‘Extended Adjective’  .............................................................. 68
2.4 the Nomino-Verbal Nature of the ‘Adjective’  ........................ 69
2.5 the ‘Apposition’  .............................................................................. 74
2.6 Generalized Relative Clause Analysis and Predication
Analysis  .............................................................................................. 76
2.7 back to the Diachrony of Predication Analysis and
Arabic Modifiers  .............................................................................. 80
2.8 Residual issues  ................................................................................. 82
2.8.1 the Form of llaḏī  ................................................................ 82
2.8.2 the Form of the Arabic ‘Prenominal Article’ ............. 88
2.9 Conclusion  ........................................................................................ 91
3 Arabic Copulae: From Relative Clauses to Recursion  ................... 93
3.1 An Ockham’s Razor for the Categorial Status of Arabic
Copulae  .............................................................................................. 93
3.2 the Categorial Status of ḏī, l, n: A First Survey  ..................... 93
3.3 Categorial Statuses and Discourse-Related Properties  ........ 95
3.4 the Categorial Status of l and its Falsificatory Power ......... 98
3.5 the Categorial Status of n: A Paradox  ...................................... 101
3.6 the Categorial Status of ḏī and ṯ  ................................................ 109
3.7 the Categorial Status of ḏī and a Potential
Counterexample  .............................................................................. 114
3.8 A Note on Word-Order Variation in NP-internal
Predication  ........................................................................................ 121
3.9 the Categorial Status(es) of ḏī: the Role of Reanalysis  ...... 122
3.10 the Categorial Status of mā and the Semantic Nuances
of Restrictiveness  ............................................................................ 124
3.11 An Excursus into Non-Contrastiveness  .................................... 126
3.12 the Categorial Status of ḏī and Non-Contrastiveness  ......... 129
3.13 Deriving the Categorial Status of ḏī: internal Factors  ......... 133
3.14 Deriving the Categorial Status of ḏī: External Factors  ........ 139
3.15 toward an Explanation of the Semantics of Arabic
Relative Clauses  ............................................................................... 143
3.16 the Categorial Status of Arabic Copulae and Recursion  ... 144
3.17 the Categorial Status of (l)la and Prepositional Marking .. 148
3.18 the Categorial Status of (l)la and Syntactic Phasehood ..... 153
3.19 Conclusion  ........................................................................................ 157
contents ix
4 Arabic Case-Endings as Copulae  ......................................................... 159
4.1 the Categorial Status of Case-Endings  ..................................... 159
4.2 Case-Endings and Koranic Relative Clauses  ........................... 160
4.3 Parallels in Najdi Arabic  ............................................................... 164
4.4 the Categorial Status of the Nominative  ................................ 169
4.5 Some Consequences and implications  .................................... 176
4.5.1 Unmarked and Marked Relative Constructions  ........ 176
4.5.2 A Systematic Gap in the Syntax of the Arabic
Relative Clause  .................................................................... 180
4.6 the NP-internal Syntax of the Accusative and Oblique  ..... 182
4.7 the Categorial Status of the Accusative and Oblique  ......... 190
4.8 Some Consequences and implications  .................................... 198
4.8.1 Revising Recursion in Arabic Modification
Structures  .............................................................................. 198
4.8.2 Parallels in Semitic  ............................................................. 204
4.8.3 Deriving Colloquial Arabic halli, yalli  .......................... 207
4.8.4 Deriving Classical Arabic llaḏīna, llaḏāni .................... 208
4.9 Conclusion  ........................................................................................ 210
5 beyond Arabic Copulae  .......................................................................... 213
5.1 Preliminary Remarks ...................................................................... 213
5.2 A First Counterexample  ................................................................ 213
5.3 A More Difficult Counterexample  ............................................. 215
5.4 the Origins of Arabic Copulae: Classifiers  .............................. 229
5.5 An Unexpected Corollary: Gender-Marking  ........................... 237
5.6 the Distribution of Arabic Copulae: two Overarching
Principles  ........................................................................................... 243
5.7 Deriving the Construct State  ....................................................... 260
5.8 the Emergence of Case-Markers ................................................ 263
5.9 Copy-Phenomena in Classical Arabic  ....................................... 279
5.10 A Note on the Loss of the North Arabian Article  ................. 284
5.11 Residual issues  ................................................................................. 285
5.12 Conclusion  ........................................................................................ 286
Conclusions  .................................................................................................... 289
Appendix i  .................................................................................................... 297
Appendix ii  .................................................................................................... 299
Appendix iii  .................................................................................................... 303
References  .................................................................................................... 307
index of Personal Names  .............................................................................. 315
index of Languages ......................................................................................... 318
Subject index  .................................................................................................... 320