Watson, JCE (2006) Arabic morphology: diminutive verbs and diminutive nouns in San’ani Arabic. Morphology, 16 (2). 189 - 204 . ISSN 1871-5621
Abstract
Word formation in Arabic has traditionally been assumed to involve interdigitation of a consonantal root with a vocalic pattern. This view is adopted by a large number of modern generative morphologists. More recently, however, several morphologists have argued that words in Semitic are formed from fully vocalised stems. In this paper, I argue that in San’ani (the dialect of San’a), and in some other Arabic dialects, there is a class of verbs that have as part of either their denotations or connotations a diminutive sense. I then consider diminutive nouns in the dialect. On the basis of semantic and phonological relationships between diminutive verbs and their non-diminutive counterparts, as well as native speakers’ explanations of certain diminutive verbs, and the relationship between diminutive nouns and their non-diminutive counterparts, I argue that while some derivational processes take the root as the basic morphological unit, phonological and semantic similarities between certain stems can only be accounted for by derivation from a fully vocalised stem. I therefore conclude that both root-based and stem-based types of word formation occur.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures & Societies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 20 Jun 2013 13:58 |
Last Modified: | 29 Mar 2018 17:45 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11525-006-9103-5 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Verlag |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s11525-006-9103-5 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:75740 |