Unveiling the approximative verb kaada in Standard Arabic: a constraint-based approach
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Abdulrahman A. Althawab
und
Halima N. Alhabib
Abstract
Kaada is one of the proximity verbs that has confounded Arabic grammarians, initiating long-standing linguistic debates on its syntax and semantics. The present paper aims to provide a descriptive and theoretical account of kaada within the constraint-based approach of Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG). It particularly seeks to investigate these three aspects: the characterizing linguistic properties of kaada in Standard Arabic (SA), an HPSG theoretical account of kaada’s syntactic and semantic properties, and the interaction of kaada with negation within the framework of Minimal Recursion Semantics (MRS). The primary source of linguistic data/examples is Falak Platform, which is a modern corpus used in the current paper to provide authentic SA examples and thereby facilitate a reliable empirical analysis. Among the key contributions of this paper is the clarification of narrow and wide negation scopes of kaada, as well as the identification of the proper interpretation of negated kaada, which is considered a rich area of linguistic inquiry. This paper also presents practical implications for the comprehension of ambiguous constructions of kaada in SA. Potential research directions include the application of similar frameworks to other copular verbs in SA and the exploration of kaada-like constructions in dialectal Arabic and other languages.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Informed consent: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.
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Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: The Researchers would like to thank the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at Qassim University for financial support (QU-APC-2026).
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Data availability: The raw data can be obtained on request from the corresponding author.
Abbreviations
- 1
-
first person
- 2
-
second person
- 3
-
third person
- acc
-
accusative
- AVMs
-
Attribute Value Matrices
- CP
-
complementizer phrase
- def
-
definite
- f
-
feminine
- gen
-
genitive
- HPSG
-
Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar
- indf
-
indefinite
- ipfv
-
imperfective
- m
-
masculine
- MRS
-
Minimal Recursion Semantics
- neg
-
negation
- nom
-
nominative
- NP
-
noun phrase
- pass
-
passive
- pfv
-
perfective
- pl
-
plural
- rel
-
relative
- S
-
sentence
- SA
-
Standard Arabic
- sg
-
singular
- VP
-
verb phrase
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