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On negative concord in Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic

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The aim of this paper is threefold: First, we provide a descriptive account of the facts of negative concord (nc) in both Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic, showing how the two dialects are similar, and how they differ in this regard. Second, we discuss previous analyses of nc and how they fare in accounting for the nc facts in both Arabic dialects, pointing out challenges posed to each approach. Finally, we propose an analysis that treats nc as an instance of syntactic agreement between the negative head and the negative concord item, along the lines suggested in Zeijlstra (2008), but where the parametric variation between Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic lies in the lexical properties of the negative concord items of each dialect, rather than in the negative markers themselves, and where conditions of economy on syntactic derivations are appealed to account for the observed nc patterns.

  • Affiliations: 1: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Middlebury College; 2: Middlebury College

References

  1. Aoun, J. , Benmamoun, E. , & Choueiri, L.
    (2010)  The syntax of Arabic . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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  2. Baker, M.
    (2008)  The Syntax of Agreement and Concord . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511619830
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511619830 [Google Scholar]
  3. Benmamoun, E.
    (1997) Licensing of negative polarity items in Moroccan Arabic. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory , 15, 263–287. doi: 10.1023/A:1005727101758
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  4. (2000)  The feature structure of functional categories: A comparative study of Arabic dialects . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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  5. (2006) Licensing configurations: The puzzle of head negative polarity items. Linguistic Inquiry , 37, 141–149. doi: 10.1162/ling.2006.37.1.141
     https://doi.org/10.1162/ling.2006.37.1.141 [Google Scholar]
  6. Chomsky, N.
    (1991) Some Notes on the Economy of Derivation and Representation. In R. Freidin (Ed.) Principles and Parameters in Comparative Grammar . Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. Also re-published as Chapter 2 in Chomsky (1995).
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  7. (1993) A Minimalist Program for Linguistic Theory. In K. Hale & S. J. Keyser (Eds.) The View from Building 20: Essays in linguistics in honour of Sylvain Bromberger . Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1–52. Also re-published as Chapter 3 in Chomsky (1995).
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  8. (1995)  The Minimalist Program . Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
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  9. (2000) Minimalist Inquiries: The Framework. In M. Roger , D. Michaels , and J. Uriagereka (Eds.). Step by Step: Essays on Minimalist Syntax in Honor of Howard Lasnik (pp. 89–156). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
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  10. (2001) Derivation by Phase. In M. Kenstowicz (Ed.), Ken Hale: A life in language (pp. 1–52). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
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  11. Fassi Fehri, A.
    (1993)  Issues in the Structure of Arabic Clauses and Words . Kluwer, Dordrecht. doi: 10.1007/978‑94‑017‑1986‑5
     https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1986-5 [Google Scholar]
  12. Haegeman, L.
    (1995)  The syntax of negation. Cambridge Studies in Linguistics 75 . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511519727
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511519727 [Google Scholar]
  13. Haegeman, L. , and Zanuttini, R.
    (1996) Negative Concord in West Flemish. In A. Belletti and L. Rizzi (Eds.) Parameters and Functional Heads. Essays in Comparative Syntax (pp. 117–179).Oxford: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Herburger, E.
    (2001) Negative Concord Revisited. Natural Language Semantics 9, 289–333. doi: 10.1023/A:1014205526722
     https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014205526722 [Google Scholar]
  15. Gelderen, E. van
    (2011)  The Linguistic Cycle: Language Change and the Language Faculty . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Giannakidou, A.
    (1998)  Polarity Sensitivity as (Non)veridical Dependency . John Benjamins. Amsterdam. doi: 10.1075/la.23
     https://doi.org/10.1075/la.23 [Google Scholar]
  17. (2011) Negative and positive polarity items: Variation, licensing, and compositionality. In C. Maienborn , K. von Heusinger , and P. Portner (Eds.) Semantics: An International Handbook of Natural Language Meaning , (pp. 1660–1712). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
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  18. Higginbotham, J. , and May, M.
    (1981) Questions, quantifiers and crossing. The Linguistic Review 1, 41–80. doi: 10.1515/tlir.1981.1.1.41
     https://doi.org/10.1515/tlir.1981.1.1.41 [Google Scholar]
  19. Hoyt, F.
    (2005) Negative concord in two dialects of Arabic. Ms., University of Texas, Austin.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. (2010)  Negative Concord in Levantine Arabic . PhD Dissertation, University of Texas, Austin.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Kuno, M.
    (2007)  Focusing on negative concord and negative polarity: Variations and relations . Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Ladusaw, W.
    (1992) Expressing negation. In Proceedings of SALT II , C. Barker and D. Dowty (Eds.), (pp. 237–259). Cornell, NY: Cornell Linguistic Circle.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Laka, I.
    (1990)  Negation in Syntax: on the Nature of Functional Categories and Projections . PhD dissertation, MIT.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Penka, D.
    (2011)  Negative Indefinites . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Soltan, U.
    (2007)  On Formal Feature Licensing in Minimalism: Aspects of Standard Arabic Morphosyntax . Ph.D dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. (this volume). On the Distribution and Licensing of Polarity-Sensitive Items in Egyptian Arabic: The Cases of ?ayy and walaa. In S. Farwaneh and H. Ouali (Eds.) Perspectives of Arabic Linguistics Vol. 25. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. (to appear). Splitting Neg: The Morphosyntax of Sentential Negation in Cairene Egyptian Arabic Revisited. In K. Froud and R. Khamis-Dakwar (Eds.) Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics Vol. 26. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. van der Wouden, T.
    (1997)  Negative contexts: Collocation, polarity and multiple negation . London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Watanabe, A.
    (2004) The genesis of negative concord: Syntax and morphology of negative doubling. Linguistic Inquiry , 35, 559–612. doi: 10.1162/0024389042350497
     https://doi.org/10.1162/0024389042350497 [Google Scholar]
  30. Zanuttini, R.
    (1991)  Syntactic Properties of Sentential Negation . Ph.D Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Zeijlstra, H.
    (2004)  Sentential Negation and Negative Concord . Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Amsterdam.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. (2008) Negative concord is syntactic agreement. Ms., University of Amsterdam.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Zwarts, F.
    (1996) A hierarchy of negative expressions. In H. Wansing (Ed.) Negation: A Notion in Focus , (pp. 169–194). Berlin: De Gruyter.
     [Google Scholar]

References

  1. Aoun, J. , Benmamoun, E. , & Choueiri, L.
    (2010)  The syntax of Arabic . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Baker, M.
    (2008)  The Syntax of Agreement and Concord . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511619830
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511619830 [Google Scholar]
  3. Benmamoun, E.
    (1997) Licensing of negative polarity items in Moroccan Arabic. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory , 15, 263–287. doi: 10.1023/A:1005727101758
     https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005727101758 [Google Scholar]
  4. (2000)  The feature structure of functional categories: A comparative study of Arabic dialects . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. (2006) Licensing configurations: The puzzle of head negative polarity items. Linguistic Inquiry , 37, 141–149. doi: 10.1162/ling.2006.37.1.141
     https://doi.org/10.1162/ling.2006.37.1.141 [Google Scholar]
  6. Chomsky, N.
    (1991) Some Notes on the Economy of Derivation and Representation. In R. Freidin (Ed.) Principles and Parameters in Comparative Grammar . Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. Also re-published as Chapter 2 in Chomsky (1995).
     [Google Scholar]
  7. (1993) A Minimalist Program for Linguistic Theory. In K. Hale & S. J. Keyser (Eds.) The View from Building 20: Essays in linguistics in honour of Sylvain Bromberger . Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1–52. Also re-published as Chapter 3 in Chomsky (1995).
     [Google Scholar]
  8. (1995)  The Minimalist Program . Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. (2000) Minimalist Inquiries: The Framework. In M. Roger , D. Michaels , and J. Uriagereka (Eds.). Step by Step: Essays on Minimalist Syntax in Honor of Howard Lasnik (pp. 89–156). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. (2001) Derivation by Phase. In M. Kenstowicz (Ed.), Ken Hale: A life in language (pp. 1–52). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Fassi Fehri, A.
    (1993)  Issues in the Structure of Arabic Clauses and Words . Kluwer, Dordrecht. doi: 10.1007/978‑94‑017‑1986‑5
     https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1986-5 [Google Scholar]
  12. Haegeman, L.
    (1995)  The syntax of negation. Cambridge Studies in Linguistics 75 . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511519727
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511519727 [Google Scholar]
  13. Haegeman, L. , and Zanuttini, R.
    (1996) Negative Concord in West Flemish. In A. Belletti and L. Rizzi (Eds.) Parameters and Functional Heads. Essays in Comparative Syntax (pp. 117–179).Oxford: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Herburger, E.
    (2001) Negative Concord Revisited. Natural Language Semantics 9, 289–333. doi: 10.1023/A:1014205526722
     https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014205526722 [Google Scholar]
  15. Gelderen, E. van
    (2011)  The Linguistic Cycle: Language Change and the Language Faculty . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Giannakidou, A.
    (1998)  Polarity Sensitivity as (Non)veridical Dependency . John Benjamins. Amsterdam. doi: 10.1075/la.23
     https://doi.org/10.1075/la.23 [Google Scholar]
  17. (2011) Negative and positive polarity items: Variation, licensing, and compositionality. In C. Maienborn , K. von Heusinger , and P. Portner (Eds.) Semantics: An International Handbook of Natural Language Meaning , (pp. 1660–1712). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Higginbotham, J. , and May, M.
    (1981) Questions, quantifiers and crossing. The Linguistic Review 1, 41–80. doi: 10.1515/tlir.1981.1.1.41
     https://doi.org/10.1515/tlir.1981.1.1.41 [Google Scholar]
  19. Hoyt, F.
    (2005) Negative concord in two dialects of Arabic. Ms., University of Texas, Austin.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. (2010)  Negative Concord in Levantine Arabic . PhD Dissertation, University of Texas, Austin.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Kuno, M.
    (2007)  Focusing on negative concord and negative polarity: Variations and relations . Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Ladusaw, W.
    (1992) Expressing negation. In Proceedings of SALT II , C. Barker and D. Dowty (Eds.), (pp. 237–259). Cornell, NY: Cornell Linguistic Circle.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Laka, I.
    (1990)  Negation in Syntax: on the Nature of Functional Categories and Projections . PhD dissertation, MIT.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Penka, D.
    (2011)  Negative Indefinites . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Soltan, U.
    (2007)  On Formal Feature Licensing in Minimalism: Aspects of Standard Arabic Morphosyntax . Ph.D dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. (this volume). On the Distribution and Licensing of Polarity-Sensitive Items in Egyptian Arabic: The Cases of ?ayy and walaa. In S. Farwaneh and H. Ouali (Eds.) Perspectives of Arabic Linguistics Vol. 25. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. (to appear). Splitting Neg: The Morphosyntax of Sentential Negation in Cairene Egyptian Arabic Revisited. In K. Froud and R. Khamis-Dakwar (Eds.) Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics Vol. 26. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. van der Wouden, T.
    (1997)  Negative contexts: Collocation, polarity and multiple negation . London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Watanabe, A.
    (2004) The genesis of negative concord: Syntax and morphology of negative doubling. Linguistic Inquiry , 35, 559–612. doi: 10.1162/0024389042350497
     https://doi.org/10.1162/0024389042350497 [Google Scholar]
  30. Zanuttini, R.
    (1991)  Syntactic Properties of Sentential Negation . Ph.D Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Zeijlstra, H.
    (2004)  Sentential Negation and Negative Concord . Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Amsterdam.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. (2008) Negative concord is syntactic agreement. Ms., University of Amsterdam.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Zwarts, F.
    (1996) A hierarchy of negative expressions. In H. Wansing (Ed.) Negation: A Notion in Focus , (pp. 169–194). Berlin: De Gruyter.
     [Google Scholar]

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