Arabic agree, silent pronouns, and reciprocals
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Abdelkader Fassi Fehri
Abstract
Various grammatical phenomena have been analyzed so far as essentially formal, or interfacing with PF syntax. Verb subject agreement asymmetries, subject pronoun deficiency (or ‘Pro drop‘), and morpho-syntactic variation in reciprocal expressions in Arabic have been treated as such. The article investigates how important properties of these phenomena can be more successfully treated in a fine-grained semantic syntax. The analysis is based on the semantic interpretability of features (typically Number), found in Agree configurations, in line with Minimalist approaches.
Abstract
Various grammatical phenomena have been analyzed so far as essentially formal, or interfacing with PF syntax. Verb subject agreement asymmetries, subject pronoun deficiency (or ‘Pro drop‘), and morpho-syntactic variation in reciprocal expressions in Arabic have been treated as such. The article investigates how important properties of these phenomena can be more successfully treated in a fine-grained semantic syntax. The analysis is based on the semantic interpretability of features (typically Number), found in Agree configurations, in line with Minimalist approaches.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Editors’ Introduction ix
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Part I. Phonetics & phonology
- Empirical evidence 3
- Regressive voicing assimilation in Cairene Arabic 21
- The phonology–syntax interface: 35
- Leading, linking, and closing tones and tunes in Egyptian Arabic – what a simple intonation system tells us about the nature of intonation 57
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Part II. Morphology & syntax
- Arabic agree, silent pronouns, and reciprocals 77
- Mood feature as case licenser in Modern Standard Arabic 127
- Extraction and deletion in Palestinian Arabic comparatives 149
- The verb kan ‘be’ in Moroccan Arabic 167
- Against the split-CP hypothesis 187
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Part III. Language acquisition, learning & contact
- Probability matching in Arabic and Romance morphology 205
- Gender differences in VOT production of Arabic/English bilingual children 245
- Phonological processing in diglossic Arabic 269
- Early acquisition of SVO and VSO word orders in Palestinian Colloquial Arabic 281
- Index 293
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Editors’ Introduction ix
-
Part I. Phonetics & phonology
- Empirical evidence 3
- Regressive voicing assimilation in Cairene Arabic 21
- The phonology–syntax interface: 35
- Leading, linking, and closing tones and tunes in Egyptian Arabic – what a simple intonation system tells us about the nature of intonation 57
-
Part II. Morphology & syntax
- Arabic agree, silent pronouns, and reciprocals 77
- Mood feature as case licenser in Modern Standard Arabic 127
- Extraction and deletion in Palestinian Arabic comparatives 149
- The verb kan ‘be’ in Moroccan Arabic 167
- Against the split-CP hypothesis 187
-
Part III. Language acquisition, learning & contact
- Probability matching in Arabic and Romance morphology 205
- Gender differences in VOT production of Arabic/English bilingual children 245
- Phonological processing in diglossic Arabic 269
- Early acquisition of SVO and VSO word orders in Palestinian Colloquial Arabic 281
- Index 293
