On the syntax of exceptive constructions in Egyptian Arabic*
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Usama Soltan
Abstract
The goal of this paper is twofold: First, it provides a descriptive account of the syntactic properties of Egyptian Arabic exceptive phrases headed by the particle ʔillaa. Second, it proposes an analysis of these syntactic properties in terms of Hoeksema’s (1987) seminal distinction between connected exceptives (CEs) and free exceptives (FEs). More specifically, CEs are argued to be coordinated DPs within a mono-clausal structure, whereas FEs are argued to be coordinated CPs which undergo ellipsis. The analysis is shown to account for the distribution of exceptive phrases in the language, and is supported by empirical facts related to cases of non-elliptical FEs, similarities with ellipsis phenomena, occurrence of speaker-oriented adverbials, and effects of the parallelism constraint on FEs.
Abstract
The goal of this paper is twofold: First, it provides a descriptive account of the syntactic properties of Egyptian Arabic exceptive phrases headed by the particle ʔillaa. Second, it proposes an analysis of these syntactic properties in terms of Hoeksema’s (1987) seminal distinction between connected exceptives (CEs) and free exceptives (FEs). More specifically, CEs are argued to be coordinated DPs within a mono-clausal structure, whereas FEs are argued to be coordinated CPs which undergo ellipsis. The analysis is shown to account for the distribution of exceptive phrases in the language, and is supported by empirical facts related to cases of non-elliptical FEs, similarities with ellipsis phenomena, occurrence of speaker-oriented adverbials, and effects of the parallelism constraint on FEs.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction xi
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Part I: Syntax and its interfaces
- Locative prepositional phrases and inalienable PLACE in Lebanese Arabic* 3
- On the syntax of exceptive constructions in Egyptian Arabic* 35
- Verbal and nominal plurals and the syntaxmorphology interface 59
- Exploring the syntax-phonology interface in Arabic 75
- A salience-based analysis of the Tunisian Arabic demonstrative hāk as used in oral narratives* 99
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Part II: Arabic Linguistic Variation
- Moroccan artists ‘blacklisted’ 123
- Lateral fricative ḍād in Tihāmat Qaḥtān 151
- Arabic ȷ̌ and the class of Sun Letters 171
- Quantifying lexical and pronunciation variation between three Arabic varieties* 187
-
Part III: First Language Acquisition
- Compensatory lengthening 215
- Index 237
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction xi
-
Part I: Syntax and its interfaces
- Locative prepositional phrases and inalienable PLACE in Lebanese Arabic* 3
- On the syntax of exceptive constructions in Egyptian Arabic* 35
- Verbal and nominal plurals and the syntaxmorphology interface 59
- Exploring the syntax-phonology interface in Arabic 75
- A salience-based analysis of the Tunisian Arabic demonstrative hāk as used in oral narratives* 99
-
Part II: Arabic Linguistic Variation
- Moroccan artists ‘blacklisted’ 123
- Lateral fricative ḍād in Tihāmat Qaḥtān 151
- Arabic ȷ̌ and the class of Sun Letters 171
- Quantifying lexical and pronunciation variation between three Arabic varieties* 187
-
Part III: First Language Acquisition
- Compensatory lengthening 215
- Index 237