5 Number in Arabic
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Abdelkader Fassi Fehri
Abstract
Number as a grammatical category of natural languages is far from being simple. It is not limited to expressing the essential distinction between singulars and plurals, with their atoms and sums (or sets) quantity counterparts. As a matter of fact, Arabic contributes a large variety of ingredients and patterns which enrich our understanding of number complexity and diversity. It belongs to the class of collective- singulative languages. A derived collective, termed plurative, denotes a group individual, or a plurality perspectivized as a unity, rather than a multitude. A singulative is formed out of a collective base, and it denotes an individual unity. Atomicities and unities are both needed in the grammar, and they project as atomP and/or unitP, with the right mechanisms. Plurative and singulative derivations characteristically use a second mode of number marking which involves morpho-syntactic convergence of both number and gender. The pronominal number subsystem partially mirrors the nominal subsystem characteristics, but the verbal subsystem is significantly different. To the extent that ‘times’ can be thought of as verbal classifiers, they only apply to the n ‘argument’. Other characteristics of the system include dual inflection, human/non-human plurality, double plurality, count-mass phenomenology, etc.
Abstract
Number as a grammatical category of natural languages is far from being simple. It is not limited to expressing the essential distinction between singulars and plurals, with their atoms and sums (or sets) quantity counterparts. As a matter of fact, Arabic contributes a large variety of ingredients and patterns which enrich our understanding of number complexity and diversity. It belongs to the class of collective- singulative languages. A derived collective, termed plurative, denotes a group individual, or a plurality perspectivized as a unity, rather than a multitude. A singulative is formed out of a collective base, and it denotes an individual unity. Atomicities and unities are both needed in the grammar, and they project as atomP and/or unitP, with the right mechanisms. Plurative and singulative derivations characteristically use a second mode of number marking which involves morpho-syntactic convergence of both number and gender. The pronominal number subsystem partially mirrors the nominal subsystem characteristics, but the verbal subsystem is significantly different. To the extent that ‘times’ can be thought of as verbal classifiers, they only apply to the n ‘argument’. Other characteristics of the system include dual inflection, human/non-human plurality, double plurality, count-mass phenomenology, etc.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- List of authors ix
- 1 Number in the World’s Languages: Configuring the variation space 1
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I Africa
- 2 Number in Eastern Dan 27
- 3 Number marking in Karko and Nilo-Saharan 63
- 4 Number in Tswana 107
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II Europe and Middle East
- 5 Number in Arabic 131
- 6 Number in Occitan 167
- 7 Number in Slovenian 187
- 8 Number in West Circassian 261
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III Northern Eurasia
- 9 Number in Ket (Yeniseian) 307
- 10 Number in Nganasan 351
- 11 Number in Nivkh 375
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IV Pacific and Australia
- 12 Number in Gooniyandi 427
- 13 Number in Indonesian 457
- 14 Number in Japonic Family 505
- 15 Number in the Languages of the Lower Sepik Family 529
- 16 Number in Marori 577
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V Americas
- 17 Number in the languages of South America 609
- 18 The category of number in Kakataibo (Panoan) 671
- 19 Grammatical simplexity: Number in Kiowa 693
- 20 Number in Mohawk (Iroquoian) 729
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VI Further perspectives on linguistic diversity
- 21 Contact languages: A survey 767
- 22 Number in Russian Sign Language 805
- 23 Number in grammar: results and perspectives 833
- Terms 911
- Languages and language families 917
- Authors 927
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- List of authors ix
- 1 Number in the World’s Languages: Configuring the variation space 1
-
I Africa
- 2 Number in Eastern Dan 27
- 3 Number marking in Karko and Nilo-Saharan 63
- 4 Number in Tswana 107
-
II Europe and Middle East
- 5 Number in Arabic 131
- 6 Number in Occitan 167
- 7 Number in Slovenian 187
- 8 Number in West Circassian 261
-
III Northern Eurasia
- 9 Number in Ket (Yeniseian) 307
- 10 Number in Nganasan 351
- 11 Number in Nivkh 375
-
IV Pacific and Australia
- 12 Number in Gooniyandi 427
- 13 Number in Indonesian 457
- 14 Number in Japonic Family 505
- 15 Number in the Languages of the Lower Sepik Family 529
- 16 Number in Marori 577
-
V Americas
- 17 Number in the languages of South America 609
- 18 The category of number in Kakataibo (Panoan) 671
- 19 Grammatical simplexity: Number in Kiowa 693
- 20 Number in Mohawk (Iroquoian) 729
-
VI Further perspectives on linguistic diversity
- 21 Contact languages: A survey 767
- 22 Number in Russian Sign Language 805
- 23 Number in grammar: results and perspectives 833
- Terms 911
- Languages and language families 917
- Authors 927
