Bardeas, Suzanne Mahmoud (2009) The syntax of the Arabic DP. PhD thesis, University of York.
Abstract
This thesis provides a minimalist account of the Arabic DP. The data used comes from Modern Standard Arabic and Makkan Arabic, a spoken variety used in Saudi Arabia. Using two varieties provides a more complete picture of Arabic DPs and sheds light on the relationship between standard and spoken Arabic. I argue that head-to-spec movement takes place in all Arabic DPs and that this movement is a cyclic, minimalist alternative to standard Head Movement. I claim that the basic differences between Simple DPs and Free States on the one hand and Construct States on the other are derivable from the D projected in each structure; definite or indefinite D are projected in the former and Construct State D in the latter. I analyse Construct States headed by a number of categories: nouns, quantifiers, nominalised adjectives, numerals and verbal nouns. I claim that the similarities between these constructs are due to the use of Construct State D, and the special behaviour of each type is a reflection of the category of the head projected below D. I propose that the Arabic lexicon is rich and I present evidence for some complex word formation processes. Moreover, I propose that complex adjectives, often referred to in the related literature as Adjectival Constructs, which show a mixture of adjectival and construct properties, are adjectival compounds formed in the lexicon. I also argue that Verbal Noun Construct States in Modern Standard Arabic may be formed either in the lexicon or in the syntax, and that each option is associated with different structures and modificational patterns. Moreover, I claim that the restrictions on Verbal Noun Construct States in Makkan Arabic are a result of this variety having only lexically formed Verbal Nouns.
Metadata
Awarding institution: | University of York |
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Academic Units: | The University of York > Language and Linguistic Science (York) |
Identification Number/EthosID: | uk.bl.ethos.516512 |
Depositing User: | EThOS Import (York) |
Date Deposited: | 24 Jul 2020 14:21 |
Last Modified: | 24 Jul 2020 14:21 |
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