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On negative concord in Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is threefold: First, we provide a descriptive account of the facts of negative concord (nc) in both Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic, showing how the two dialects are similar, and how they differ in this regard. Second, we discuss previous analyses of nc and how they fare in accounting for the nc facts in both Arabic dialects, pointing out challenges posed to each approach. Finally, we propose an analysis that treats nc as an instance of syntactic agreement between the negative head and the negative concord item, along the lines suggested in Zeijlstra (2008), but where the parametric variation between Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic lies in the lexical properties of the negative concord items of each dialect, rather than in the negative markers themselves, and where conditions of economy on syntactic derivations are appealed to account for the observed nc patterns.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is threefold: First, we provide a descriptive account of the facts of negative concord (nc) in both Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic, showing how the two dialects are similar, and how they differ in this regard. Second, we discuss previous analyses of nc and how they fare in accounting for the nc facts in both Arabic dialects, pointing out challenges posed to each approach. Finally, we propose an analysis that treats nc as an instance of syntactic agreement between the negative head and the negative concord item, along the lines suggested in Zeijlstra (2008), but where the parametric variation between Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic lies in the lexical properties of the negative concord items of each dialect, rather than in the negative markers themselves, and where conditions of economy on syntactic derivations are appealed to account for the observed nc patterns.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgement vii
  4. Introduction ix
  5. Part I. Phonology and Morphology
  6. Geminate representation in Arabic 3
  7. Stress assignment in Makkan Arabic 21
  8. Investigating variation in Arabic intonation 63
  9. The Morpheme /-in(n)-/ in central Asian Arabic 91
  10. Part II. Syntax
  11. Variations on the same theme 121
  12. Negation and heads 139
  13. On negative concord in Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic 159
  14. On the distribution and licensing of polarity-sensitive items in Egyptian Arabic: 181
  15. Modes of interrogatives entail modes of sluicing 207
  16. Index 229
Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XXIV–XXV
This chapter is in the book Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XXIV–XXV
https://doi.org/10.1075/sal.1.11oua

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgement vii
  4. Introduction ix
  5. Part I. Phonology and Morphology
  6. Geminate representation in Arabic 3
  7. Stress assignment in Makkan Arabic 21
  8. Investigating variation in Arabic intonation 63
  9. The Morpheme /-in(n)-/ in central Asian Arabic 91
  10. Part II. Syntax
  11. Variations on the same theme 121
  12. Negation and heads 139
  13. On negative concord in Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic 159
  14. On the distribution and licensing of polarity-sensitive items in Egyptian Arabic: 181
  15. Modes of interrogatives entail modes of sluicing 207
  16. Index 229
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