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The Aorist in Zenaga Berber and the Imperfective in two Arabic dialects

A comparative viewpoint
  • Catherine Taine-Cheikh
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Aspectuality and Temporality
This chapter is in the book Aspectuality and Temporality

Abstract

In Berber studies, it is often considered – at least in French-speaking literature – that there is a specific verbal category named Aorist. This category is not supposed to exist in the Semitic family, which is also part of the Afro-Asiatic phylum. However, the Arabic prefixal conjugation shows important similarities with Berber Aorist in forms as well as uses. After studying the role of Aorist in the Berber time-aspect-mood (TAM) system and, in particular, in the Zenaga Berber of Mauritania, we will compare it with the role of prefixal conjugation in Arabic. We will show that similarities are more or less strong. Similarities are important with a Bedouin variety such as Ḥassāniyya Arabic, which doesn’t have a modal form. And similarities are even more important in a more evolved variety such as Morrocan Arabic. Indeed, in Morrocan Arabic, the use of prefixal conjugation without preverbs tends to be limited to non-referential propositions.

Abstract

In Berber studies, it is often considered – at least in French-speaking literature – that there is a specific verbal category named Aorist. This category is not supposed to exist in the Semitic family, which is also part of the Afro-Asiatic phylum. However, the Arabic prefixal conjugation shows important similarities with Berber Aorist in forms as well as uses. After studying the role of Aorist in the Berber time-aspect-mood (TAM) system and, in particular, in the Zenaga Berber of Mauritania, we will compare it with the role of prefixal conjugation in Arabic. We will show that similarities are more or less strong. Similarities are important with a Bedouin variety such as Ḥassāniyya Arabic, which doesn’t have a modal form. And similarities are even more important in a more evolved variety such as Morrocan Arabic. Indeed, in Morrocan Arabic, the use of prefixal conjugation without preverbs tends to be limited to non-referential propositions.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Theoretical issues
  6. A cognitive and conceptual approach to tense and aspect markers 27
  7. Part II. Grammatical encoding of aspectual and temporal distinctions
  8. Tense, aspect and mood in Nêlêmwa (New Caledonia) 63
  9. On the tense-aspect system of standard Thai* 109
  10. Dravidian conceptual basis for the Badaga “tenses” 131
  11. Tense and aspect in the verbal system of Wolof* 171
  12. Tense and aspect in Langi* 231
  13. Aspect in Sikuani 265
  14. Part III. Grammatical aspect and Aktionsarten
  15. Aspect-tense relations in East Greenlandic 297
  16. On interaction between external and internal markers in expressing aspect in Arabic dialect varieties 325
  17. Part IV. Indo-European Aorist and Hamito-Semitic Aorist
  18. The aorist and the perfect in Albanian* 357
  19. The aorist in Modern Armenian 375
  20. The verbal form V-ā in Hindi/Urdu 413
  21. The aorist in Berber 447
  22. The Aorist in Zenaga Berber and the Imperfective in two Arabic dialects 465
  23. Part V. Perfects and resultatives
  24. Modern Greek -tos (τος) and -menos (μενος) 505
  25. Resultative Interpretation of Predicates in Korean* 525
  26. On two types of result 563
  27. Part VI. The Future and future reference
  28. Future and prospective in the Mongolic languages 599
  29. The future tenses in the Tibetic languages 625
  30. No escape from the future 643
  31. The Bulgarian future in light of the temporal frames of reference 679
  32. Part VII. Grammatical change
  33. Aspect as the source of diathesis in NorthEastern Neo-Aramaic and beyond with remarks on transitivity, accusativity, ergativity and case 705
  34. Language Index 727
  35. Author Index 729
  36. Subject Index 735
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.172.15tai

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Theoretical issues
  6. A cognitive and conceptual approach to tense and aspect markers 27
  7. Part II. Grammatical encoding of aspectual and temporal distinctions
  8. Tense, aspect and mood in Nêlêmwa (New Caledonia) 63
  9. On the tense-aspect system of standard Thai* 109
  10. Dravidian conceptual basis for the Badaga “tenses” 131
  11. Tense and aspect in the verbal system of Wolof* 171
  12. Tense and aspect in Langi* 231
  13. Aspect in Sikuani 265
  14. Part III. Grammatical aspect and Aktionsarten
  15. Aspect-tense relations in East Greenlandic 297
  16. On interaction between external and internal markers in expressing aspect in Arabic dialect varieties 325
  17. Part IV. Indo-European Aorist and Hamito-Semitic Aorist
  18. The aorist and the perfect in Albanian* 357
  19. The aorist in Modern Armenian 375
  20. The verbal form V-ā in Hindi/Urdu 413
  21. The aorist in Berber 447
  22. The Aorist in Zenaga Berber and the Imperfective in two Arabic dialects 465
  23. Part V. Perfects and resultatives
  24. Modern Greek -tos (τος) and -menos (μενος) 505
  25. Resultative Interpretation of Predicates in Korean* 525
  26. On two types of result 563
  27. Part VI. The Future and future reference
  28. Future and prospective in the Mongolic languages 599
  29. The future tenses in the Tibetic languages 625
  30. No escape from the future 643
  31. The Bulgarian future in light of the temporal frames of reference 679
  32. Part VII. Grammatical change
  33. Aspect as the source of diathesis in NorthEastern Neo-Aramaic and beyond with remarks on transitivity, accusativity, ergativity and case 705
  34. Language Index 727
  35. Author Index 729
  36. Subject Index 735
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