1887
Volume 1, Issue 1
  • ISSN 2950-1806
  • E-ISSN: 2950-1792

Abstract

Abstract

Dialectal and in Classical Arabic are compared for the first time from within an analytical syntactic approach. /​non-​-​marking as manifest through the former is argued to reflect the same focus expressed through -distribution within the Classical system. The -to- shift within the dialectal system is hypothesised to have developed as part of a drive towards a more canonical correspondence between -marking and thematic-role, giving rise to a differential -marking system. In revisiting marking in Classical/Standard Arabic, the study concentrates on those instances where marks what is here analysed as , and what that is implicative of in the grammar. The study adds further to the literature which claims that Arabic is a discourse-configured language and specifically argues that in the Classical/Quranic and Medieval dialectal Arabic systems is understood as an in situ discourse function index.

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2025-09-05
2026-03-09
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