Home Linguistics & Semiotics Multiple agreement in Arabic
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Multiple agreement in Arabic

  • Hamid Ouali
View more publications by John Benjamins Publishing Company
To Publisher Page
Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XXVI
This chapter is in the book Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XXVI

Abstract

This article analyzes multiple subject verb agreement in complex tense clauses in light of the Feature Inheritance (FI) approach (Chomsky 2008, 2013). After establishing that these complex tense clauses are bi-clausal with two TP projections and one CP, I argue that they present a challenge to FI according to which C is the locus of φ-features. I propose an analysis where I maintain that T is lexically specified for φ-features and show how this view can account for all the multiple agreement facts.

Abstract

This article analyzes multiple subject verb agreement in complex tense clauses in light of the Feature Inheritance (FI) approach (Chomsky 2008, 2013). After establishing that these complex tense clauses are bi-clausal with two TP projections and one CP, I argue that they present a challenge to FI according to which C is the locus of φ-features. I propose an analysis where I maintain that T is lexically specified for φ-features and show how this view can account for all the multiple agreement facts.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. The development of future participles and future tense markers from motion predicates 9
  5. Yod-dropping in b-imperfect verb forms in Amman 29
  6. Syntax
  7. Prosodic constituency and locality in Levantine Arabic 47
  8. Negation and the subject position in San’ani Arabic 75
  9. Splitting Neg: 91
  10. Multiple agreement in Arabic 121
  11. Cyclic AGREE derives restrictions on cliticization in classical Arabic 135
  12. Phonology
  13. Secondary stress exist in Cairene Arabic? 163
  14. Paradoxical paradigms! Evidence from Lebanese Arabic phonology 185
  15. Sociolinguistics
  16. The Arabic of Bukhara 213
  17. Semantic/Pragmatics
  18. Terms of endearment and anger in Levantine Arabic 243
  19. Language acquisition
  20. On the L1 development of final consonant clusters in Cairene Arabic 263
  21. Neurolinguistics
  22. Neurocognitive modeling of the two language varieties in Arabic Diglossia 285
  23. Index 303
https://doi.org/10.1075/sal.2.08oua

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. The development of future participles and future tense markers from motion predicates 9
  5. Yod-dropping in b-imperfect verb forms in Amman 29
  6. Syntax
  7. Prosodic constituency and locality in Levantine Arabic 47
  8. Negation and the subject position in San’ani Arabic 75
  9. Splitting Neg: 91
  10. Multiple agreement in Arabic 121
  11. Cyclic AGREE derives restrictions on cliticization in classical Arabic 135
  12. Phonology
  13. Secondary stress exist in Cairene Arabic? 163
  14. Paradoxical paradigms! Evidence from Lebanese Arabic phonology 185
  15. Sociolinguistics
  16. The Arabic of Bukhara 213
  17. Semantic/Pragmatics
  18. Terms of endearment and anger in Levantine Arabic 243
  19. Language acquisition
  20. On the L1 development of final consonant clusters in Cairene Arabic 263
  21. Neurolinguistics
  22. Neurocognitive modeling of the two language varieties in Arabic Diglossia 285
  23. Index 303
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2026 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 8.2.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1075/sal.2.08oua/html
Scroll to top button