The Verb in Literary and Colloquial Arabic

301 Pages·1997·6.41 MB·English

by  Martine Cuvalay-Haak

The Verb in Literary and Colloquial Arabic
W
DE
G
Functional Grammar Series 19
Editors
A. Machtelt Bolkestein
Casper de Groot
J. Lachlan Mackenzie
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York
The Verb in Literary
and Colloquial Arabic
by
Martine Cuvalay-Haak
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin • New York 1997
Mouton de Gruyter (formerly Mouton, The Hague)
is a Division of Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin.
® Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines of the
ANSI to ensure permanence and durability.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication-Data
Cuvalay-Haak, Martine, 1959—
The verb in literary and colloquial Arabic / by Martine
Cuvalay-Haak.
p. cm. - (Functional grammar series ; 19)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and indexes.
ISBN 3-11-015401-3 (cloth ; alk. paper)
1. Arabic language - Verb. I. Title. II. Series.
PJ6145.C88 1997
492.7'5-dc21 97-19916
CIP
Die Deutsche Bibliothek — Cataloging-in-Publication-Data
Cuvalay-Haak, Martine:
The verb in literary and colloquial Arabic / by Martine
Cuvalay-Haak. — Berlin ; New York : Mouton de Gruyter,
1997
(Functional grammar series ; 19)
ISBN 3-11-015401-3
© Copyright 1997 by Walter de Gruyter & Co., D-10785 Berlin
All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this
book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publisher.
Printing: Arthur Collignon GmbH, Berlin. - Binding: Lüderitz & Bauer-GmbH, Berlin.
Printed in Germany.
To the memory of Simon C. Dik

Acknowledgements
This book has many origins. I first became interested in Arabic while
traveling in North Africa, trying to keep up with the local ways of saying
'thank you' and 'one coffee with milk, please'. I wish to express my
gratitude for the generous hospitality which I encountered during these and
later trips, and for the patience of my 'teachers', Abdellah El-Moumen and
Amina Saladi.
That I, as a former student in cognitive psychology, came to study
general linguistics is due to my co-workers at the City cinema, at least four
of whom were linguists. They glanced at grammars of mysterious languages
in the dull moments behind the counter and convinced me that I should join
them. I am still grateful to Wijnie de Groot for her lessons on Functional
Grammar between the sale of ice-creams.
Since I came to the department of general linguistics, Casper de Groot
has guided me through the world of predicate frames, semantic functions
and operators. He supervised my first term paper ('De zusters van käna')
and my MA thesis ('Tijd, Modaliteit en Aspect in het Kaireens-Arabisch'),
and supported my application for a position as a research assistant. He has
continued to advise and support me, most intensively during the last few
years as the supervisor of my project. I am also grateful to my promoter,
Manfred Woidich, for contributing to my fascination with Arabic dialects.
Apart from his expertise, critical commentary and inspiring suggestions, he
also provided a wealth of books and articles, and a quiet place to work.
Kees Hengeveld has always made himself available to explain and
discuss his work, and has given me invaluable help with my own. I am
indebted to Machtelt Bolkestein for her detailed commentary on an earlier
version of the manuscript, and to Lachlan Mackenzie and Peter van Baarle
for their discussion of the theoretical part. I also received a lot of support
vi Acknowledgements
from my colleagues of the institutes for General Linguistic and Middle
Eastern studies of the University of Amsterdam, and from the Institute for
Functional Research into Language and Language Use (IFOTT). I
particularly want to express my thanks to all members of the workgroup on
Functional Grammar. Over the years, we have shared much more than the
theoretical framework. During my stay in Rabat, and also during an earlier
visit to the University of Agadir, I enjoyed the hospitality of the group of
Moroccan functional grammarians, and was stimulated by their interest in
my work. I am grateful to Dominique Caubet and other members of the
Association de Diabetologie Arabe (AIDA) for their numerous suggestions
and interesting discussions.
For the final version of this book I wish to thank Dionisius Agius for
proofreading most chapters, Daniel O'Donnell for improvements to my
English, Rabha Heinen-Nasr for her comments on Egyptian Arabic
examples, and Ahmed Moutaouakil for the Arabic translation of the
summaiy.
In my mind, a long list of people follows. Everybody who took care of
our children, or allowed me to express my concerns, indirectly contributed
to the progress of this project. I feel extremely privileged to have so many
friends to rely on. Most of all, I have depended on my family. Although I
have been quite far away at times, both mentally and physically, they
continued to be here for me.
I dedicate this book to the memory of Simon Dik in gratitude for his
unfailing confidence in my abilities. I also thank Willy van Wetter, for her
hospitality, friendship, and continuous interest in my work.
Diemen, May 1996 Martine Cuvalay-Haak
Contents
Notes on the transcription and glosses xv
List of abbreviations and symbols xvii
0. Introduction 1
1. The Arabic language group 3
1.0. Introduction 3
1.1. Genetic classification 4
1.1.1. The position of Arabic in the Semitic family 4
1.1.2. Genetic relations within the Arabic language group . . . . .. 5
1.1.2.1. The linguistic background of Classical Arabic 6
1.1.2.2. The Modern Arabic dialects 6
1.2. Chronological classification and inventory of sources 8
1.3. Geographical classification 9
1.4. Sociological criteria 11
1.4.1. Inherent sociological criteria 11
1.4.1.1. Bedouin versus sedentary dialects 11
1.4.1.2. Urban and rural dialects 12
1.4.1.3. Religious affiliation 12
1.4.1.4. Other (semi-)permanent characteristics 13
1.4.2. Situation-dependent criteria 13
1.5. Linguistic criteria 15
1.5.1. Lexical criteria 16
1.5.2. Phonological criteria 16
1.5.3. Morphological criteria 17
1.5.4. Syntactic criteria 18
1.6. The investigation 20