Arabic Linguistics - Volume 1, Issue 1, 2025

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of F2 and VOT in realization of the contrast in emphasis among speakers of Arabic varieties of the Levant (Lebanese, Syrian) and the Gulf (Saudi, Qatari). The results show that the two dialect groups systematically differ in acoustic realization of plain and emphatic voiceless stops. While Lebanese and Syrian varieties reveal the traditional pattern, in which the contrast is predominantly realized as a difference in F2 (Plain: 1808 Hz, Emphatic: 1097 Hz), Qatari and Saudi ones demonstrate a pattern with VOT as the main acoustic correlate. Plain [t] is produced with aspiration (M = 72 ms), and emphatic [t^ʕ] is unaspirated (M = 17 ms). The difference in F2 in the Gulf speech is, in contrast, smaller: low vowel [aː] is back in both contexts, with more retraction in the emphatic context (Plain: 1230 Hz; Emphatic: 1108 Hz).

Abstract

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

Abstract

In this article I examine several patterns of grammaticalization of the verb qāl in the Arabic dialect of Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria. qāl is grammaticalized into grammemes expressing different grammatical categories: Epistemic modality, Evidentiality, Skepticism, Deontic obligation, Hortative modality, Preferentiality, Similative constructions, and Polar questions. While there have been previous studies on the grammaticalization of the verb qāl in other varieties of Arabic, no other variety shows such extensive use of the verb qāl in grammaticalization and is therefore of interest from a typological and comparative point of view. The mechanisms involved in grammaticalization in this dialect are by and large consistent with those found in other languages (cf. Kuteva et al., 2019).

Abstract

This paper attempts to shed light on the use of the negative particle lā in Bedouin dialects spoken in Palestine and Jordan (of the Arabian Peninsula type), drawing on results of previous studies and recent fieldwork. Although generally marginalised in all contemporary Arabic varieties, lā still maintains various usages, especially in Bedouin dialects of the Najdi group. Fieldwork data from Bedouin dialects of Palestine (West Bank) and Jordan, reveal that lā, apart from its common usage in the negative imperative and in negative coordination structures, is also attested in other contexts, while different types of wala appear with several functions. This paper suggests that the traditional negative lā and some of its variants are mainly encountered in Arabic varieties that exhibit more conservative features, such as some Bedouin varieties.

Abstract

Spelling performances in Lebanese bilingual children with typical development (TD) and presenting a Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) is a field little exploited in the literature. Our objective is to study the development of the spelling performances in bilingual French- speaking Lebanese TD and SLD children, in primary grades: Grade 2, 3, and 4. Ninety TD children and ninety SLD children were recruited. The evaluation of their spelling skills was done through sentences dictations in French and Arabic. The results mainly show that the performances of TD children are superior to that of SLD children in terms of accuracy and speed of processing. However, these results are nuanced as to the percentages of errors (usage, phonetic, grammatical, and segmentation errors) according to each grade level. These results are discussed regarding Lebanese educational programs for better management of written language impairments in therapy sessions and at school.

This article reviews Introduction to Arabic Linguistics

This article reviews Maroc: La Guerre des Langues?