From Root to Nunation: the Morphology of Arabic Nouns

From Root to Nunation: The Morphology of Arabic Nouns Abdullah S. Alghamdi A thesis in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Humanities and Languages Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences March 2015 PLEASE TYPE THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Alghamdi First name: Abdullah Other name/s: Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: PhD School: Humanities and Languages Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences Title: From root to nunation: The morphology of Arabic nouns. Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) This thesis explores aspects of the morphology of Arabic nouns within the theoretical framework of Distributed Morphology (as developed by Halle and Marantz, 1993; 1994, and many others). The theory distributes the morphosyntactic, phonological and semantic properties of words among several components of grammar. This study examines the roots and the grammatical features of gender, number, case and definiteness that constitute the structure of Arabic nouns. It shows how these constituents are represented across different types of nouns. This study supports the view that roots are category-less, and merge with the category-assigning feature [n], forming nominal stems. It also shows that compositional semantic features, e.g., ‘humanness’, are not a property of the roots, but are rather inherent to [n]. This study supports the hypothesis that roots are individuated by indices and the proposal that these indices are conceptual in nature. It is shown that indices may activate special language-specific rules by which certain types of Arabic nouns are formed. Furthermore, this study argues that the masculine feature [-F] is prohibited from remaining part of the structure of Arabic nonhuman plurals. Thus, crucially a feature-changing operation that changes it into [+F] is introduced and defended. In the light of several modifications that the structure of Arabic nouns is claimed to undergo, this study argues that the component where these modifications take place is divided into phases and each phase is restricted to a certain type of modification. The study also reviews and counters some previous accounts for the morphology of Arabic nouns. For example, it shows that the number feature [Pl] of certain plural nouns, descriptively known as broken plurals, is not pre-syntactically configured. It also shows that the behaviour of certain structures, known as diptotes, is phonologically rather than morphosyntactically motivated. Finally, contrary to studies that do not regard the suffix -n, known as nunation, as an indefinite marker, this study provides evidence which shows that nunation is indeed an indefinite marker in nouns, but a marker of specificity in proper names. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350-word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). Signature:..................................................................... Witness:....................................................................... Date:............................................................................. The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: i ii ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed ................................................................. Date ..................................................................... iii Publications and Conference Presentations Arising from the Writing of this Thesis: Alghamdi, A. (2012). The Structure of Arabic Dual and Sound Masculine Plural Nouns: Evidence for Impoverishment and Fusion. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the School of International Studies, University of New South Wales, Australia. Alghamdi, A. (2013). The Importance of Root Indices: Evidence from Arabic Nouns. Paper presented at the International Linguistics Beyond and Within (LingBaW) Conference, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. Alghamdi, A. (2015). The Importance of Root Indices: Evidence from Arabic Nouns. In A. Bondaruk and A. Prażmowska (Eds.), Within Language, Beyond Theories: Studies in Theoretical Linguistics (Vol. 1). Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. iv Dedication To all those who pray and wish the best for me v Acknowledgments Acknowledgments First and foremost, all praises and thanks to God for giving me everything to accomplish this thesis successfully: patience, health, wisdom, and blessings. I would like to express the most sincere gratitude to my joint supervisors, Dr. Hugues Peters and Dr. Mengistu Amberber, for guiding me and giving me their precious time. They have been a great source of help, support and inspiration, and were always by my side during the ups and downs I encountered during my candidature. I cannot thank them enough. I am immensely grateful to my friend and fellow linguist Dr. Abdelhak El Hankari for reading the early drafts of this thesis and providing me with his valuable comments. I will not forget that day when we spent over seven hours discussing – and at times arguing about – my analysis. I would like to apologise for any inconvenience I may have caused him on that day. Lest I forget those who have contributed to my knowledge since I was a child, I would like to express my appreciation to everyone who taught me during all levels of my education. Special thanks to Dr. Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Dr. Ahmad Al-Izabi, Dr. Yousef Shaheen and Dr. Osama Mufti from Jeddah Teachers’ College, Saudi Arabia, and also equally to Dr. Rob Pensalfini, Dr. Mary Laughren, Dr. John Ingram and Dr. Michael Harrington from the University of Queensland, Australia. I would like to express my deep gratitude to my employer Albaha University, Saudi Arabia, and their representative the Saudi Cultural Mission in Canberra for funding me to pursue my dream of continuing my higher education. Without their support, this dream would not have come true. Who are we without friends? I am grateful to my friends for being there when I needed them. I would particularly like to acknowledge Tariq Alhawassi and Atheer Jasim for being family to me in Australia, and Fahad Alnotaifi, Ghazi Alqethami, Naief Albaraq, Saleh Alshehri, Saleh Alzahrani, Saud Alboqami and Abdullah Alqarni for the fruitful discussions we have had. Special thanks to Brett Todd for making the time we have spent together at the study lab fun and for editing my thesis. The greatest THANK YOU goes to my family for everything I achieved. I apologise to my parents for not being there when they needed me – I promise not to do it again. I appreciate the efforts that my brothers and sisters have exerted to fill my position and take care of our parents. I have the utmost admiration for my wife, Rana, for enduring the many hours alone and bearing extra burdens while I laboured at this endeavour. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. vi Table of Contents Table of Contents 1. List of Tables ............................................................................................................. x 2. List of Figures ........................................................................................................... xi 3. List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................... xii 4. Arabic Phonemic Inventory ................................................................................... xiii 1. Chapter One – Introduction ....................................................................................... 1 1.1. Thesis Overview ................................................................................................. 1 1.1.1. Statement of the Problem .............................................................................. 1 1.1.2. Objectives and Questions of the Study ......................................................... 1 1.1.3. Significance

Load more