Temporal NPIs and NCIs as adverb phrases
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Ahmad Al-Qassas
Abstract
I analyze the status of the temporal NPI ʕʊmr and NCI baʕd in Jordanian Arabic and explain their distribution and syntactic licensing. Despite their head-like properties (hosting clitics and assigning case), I argue that both elements are AdvPs in Spec-XP positions rather than heads projecting their own clausal structure. These items can be pre-verbal or post-verbal; they differ in their ability to precede negative constituents; they require a complement (DP or CP) that can be co-referential with the subject or object of the clause (or, in the NPI case, the pronominal complement inside a syntactic island). I contend that the similarities and differences among these properties follow from the fact that ʕʊmr may be base-generated either pre-verbally or post-verbally, while baʕd is always base-generated post-verbally and optionally moves to a pre-verbal position. I conclude that both c-command and specifier-head configurations can license such items, while the head-complement configuration cannot.
Abstract
I analyze the status of the temporal NPI ʕʊmr and NCI baʕd in Jordanian Arabic and explain their distribution and syntactic licensing. Despite their head-like properties (hosting clitics and assigning case), I argue that both elements are AdvPs in Spec-XP positions rather than heads projecting their own clausal structure. These items can be pre-verbal or post-verbal; they differ in their ability to precede negative constituents; they require a complement (DP or CP) that can be co-referential with the subject or object of the clause (or, in the NPI case, the pronominal complement inside a syntactic island). I contend that the similarities and differences among these properties follow from the fact that ʕʊmr may be base-generated either pre-verbally or post-verbally, while baʕd is always base-generated post-verbally and optionally moves to a pre-verbal position. I conclude that both c-command and specifier-head configurations can license such items, while the head-complement configuration cannot.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgement vii
- Introduction ix
-
Phonetics and phonology
- Phonation and glottal states in Modern South Arabian and San'ani Arabic 3
- Examining feature economy in Arabic dialects 37
- L1-English tense-lax vowel system influence on L2-Arabic 63
- On the status of derived affricates in Arabic dialects 89
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Syntax
- On NPIs and QPs in Sason Arabic 107
- Temporal NPIs and NCIs as adverb phrases 129
- Clause structure in contact contexts 153
- The syntax of motion light verbs in Jordanian and Moroccan Arabic 173
- Cyclic Spell-Out Derived Agreement in Arabic Raising Constructions 193
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Sociolinguistics
- (q) as a sociolinguistic variable in the Arabic of Gaza City 229
- Index 247
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgement vii
- Introduction ix
-
Phonetics and phonology
- Phonation and glottal states in Modern South Arabian and San'ani Arabic 3
- Examining feature economy in Arabic dialects 37
- L1-English tense-lax vowel system influence on L2-Arabic 63
- On the status of derived affricates in Arabic dialects 89
-
Syntax
- On NPIs and QPs in Sason Arabic 107
- Temporal NPIs and NCIs as adverb phrases 129
- Clause structure in contact contexts 153
- The syntax of motion light verbs in Jordanian and Moroccan Arabic 173
- Cyclic Spell-Out Derived Agreement in Arabic Raising Constructions 193
-
Sociolinguistics
- (q) as a sociolinguistic variable in the Arabic of Gaza City 229
- Index 247
