Formulaic models and formulaicity in Classical and Modern Standard Arabic
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Giuliano Lancioni
Abstract
Classical Arabic [ClA], the historical antecedent of Modern Standard Arabic [MSA], is a language reconstructed from a selected, close textual corpus, clearly removed from everyday speech. The analysis focuses on the formulaic features ClA and MSA inherited from their models, which are consistently missing from spoken Arabic variants; these features range from text chunks to morphological and syntactic patterns (including redundant case affixes, and syntactically determined partial agreement). The general consequence of the hypothesis presented is that formulaicity in written languages can be strongly reinforced by the model of literary varieties, even long after the original textual constraints disappeared. The influence of MSA on modern spoken varieties shows the possibility that such formulaic features find their path through spoken languages.
Abstract
Classical Arabic [ClA], the historical antecedent of Modern Standard Arabic [MSA], is a language reconstructed from a selected, close textual corpus, clearly removed from everyday speech. The analysis focuses on the formulaic features ClA and MSA inherited from their models, which are consistently missing from spoken Arabic variants; these features range from text chunks to morphological and syntactic patterns (including redundant case affixes, and syntactically determined partial agreement). The general consequence of the hypothesis presented is that formulaicity in written languages can be strongly reinforced by the model of literary varieties, even long after the original textual constraints disappeared. The influence of MSA on modern spoken varieties shows the possibility that such formulaic features find their path through spoken languages.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction. Approaches to the study of formulae xi
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Part I. What is Formulaic Language
- Grammarians' languages versus humanists' languages and the place of speech act formulas in models of linguistic competence 3
- Identifying formulaic language 27
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Part II. Structure and distribution
- Formulaic tendencies of demonstrative clefts in spoken English 55
- Formulaic language and the relater category – the case of about 77
- The aim is to analyze NP 97
- Fixedness in Japanese adjectives in conversation 117
- Genre-controlled constructions in written language quotatives 147
- Some remarks on the evaluative connotations of toponymic idioms in a contrastive perspective 171
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Part III. Historical change
- The role of prefabs in grammaticization 187
- Formulaic models and formulaicity in Classical and Modern Standard Arabic 219
- A corpus study of lexicalized formulaic sequences with preposition + hand 239
- The embodiment/culture continuum 257
- From ‘remaining’ to ‘becoming’ in Spanish 273
- Author index 297
- Subject index 307
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction. Approaches to the study of formulae xi
-
Part I. What is Formulaic Language
- Grammarians' languages versus humanists' languages and the place of speech act formulas in models of linguistic competence 3
- Identifying formulaic language 27
-
Part II. Structure and distribution
- Formulaic tendencies of demonstrative clefts in spoken English 55
- Formulaic language and the relater category – the case of about 77
- The aim is to analyze NP 97
- Fixedness in Japanese adjectives in conversation 117
- Genre-controlled constructions in written language quotatives 147
- Some remarks on the evaluative connotations of toponymic idioms in a contrastive perspective 171
-
Part III. Historical change
- The role of prefabs in grammaticization 187
- Formulaic models and formulaicity in Classical and Modern Standard Arabic 219
- A corpus study of lexicalized formulaic sequences with preposition + hand 239
- The embodiment/culture continuum 257
- From ‘remaining’ to ‘becoming’ in Spanish 273
- Author index 297
- Subject index 307
